Prova ed Errore
by zkrasnet
Summary: He looked out his window and noticed it was raining very hard. Lightning flashed across the sky and a distant roll of thunder could be heard. Standing up from his bed, he made his way towards the window and opened it, listening to the relaxing sound.
1. Sorpresa

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Disclaimer- Last time I checked I was not J. K. Rowling. In other words, I own nothing except the plot. 

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A/N: I know already, before you tell me, this chapter sucks, and the way Draco acts towards Hermione is really quite … disgusting. Don't let it fool you, however, and enjoy the rest… because he is not like this throughout the story, trust me… [and in case you are confused, this story used to be called "There's Something I Need To Tell You"… I needed change, what can I say…]

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"Prova ed Errore"

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Chapter 0.01 : ** Sorpresa**

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy have been intimate for the past three years of their Hogwarts education. At first no one noticed but then rumours started to zip around like a disease. Some said that Draco was just using her, while others said he really loved her, but yet some believed it was all a hoax. _A hoax? _Soon, though, their secrets were revealed and it was known to many that Draco and Hermione shared something ever so special: in each other's presence, they were truly happy. Hermione smiled every time she saw him, every time someone said his name, every time something reminded her of him. Draco seemed full of life when with her and no longer were his eyes so dark, distant, and cold, but they were warm and loving. They laughed together, drank butterbeer together, even studied together! The only separation between the two were their houses, but often at night they would sneak out and meet each other secretly in an empty class room, sharing kisses and hugs and talking about all sorts of subjects. People envied them, of course, but other people were happy for them and only wished them well rather them cursing them because they did not have such a relationship with another. 

However, just a month ago they had shared the most intimate, loving feeling one can have: they made love. Draco was so gentle with her, so caring. He went slowly for her, kissing her neck and lips and forehead, caressing her skin and rubbing his fingers through her hair. When Hermione awoke the next morning, she found Draco's arms still wrapped around her from when they had fallen asleep. She felt so loved, so happy, so wonderful- everything seemed to be going so well for the two. He acted no different towards her at all, which made Hermione even happier. Of course she didn't act different; why should she? 

Something unexpected happened, though. Hermione had gotten sick one day, decided to go to Madam Pomfrey for some medication, but the lovely old nurse told her something she did want to hear. No, no, she would not believe it to be true. Madam Pomfrey told her to stay in the infirmary until things started to clear up, and afterwards she'd be on her way with just some vitamins to take to keep her healthy. This was the last thing she had expected. _Always take precautions for now on_, she told herself. And so she did.

Hermione needed to tell Draco what Madam Pomfrey had told her, but the problem was- how? How would he react? _Oh, how to tell him!_ Thoughts ran through her head as she paced around her room (everyone else was in class). _Just tell him flat out. It will be easy. Let's only hope._ So Hermione walked out of the Gryffindor house, beings class was over in five minutes, and walked towards Professor Snape's classroom. There she would wait for Draco to tell him everything. 

Sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, her mind went deep into thought. She began to daydream of what Draco would say, how he would react towards her, if things would change. Then a door opened, startling Hermione. She stood up, dusting off her skirt, smiling at people passing by (in particular Harry and Ron). Hermione awaited Draco's exit from the classroom eagerly. _Hurry!_ She thought. _He is so slow sometimes._ About thirty seconds later, Draco emerged from the classroom, Goyle and Crabbe behind him. Hermione loathed the two airheads. _How does Draco put up with them?_

Draco smiled at her. "Hello, Hermione," he said. "How was your day?"

__

Now, she told herself. And so she said it. The words that were dancing on her tongue all morning and afternoon. 

"There's something I need to tell you." 

Draco shrugged. "So tell me."

"In _private_," she said, moving her eyes towards Crabbe and Goyle.

Draco shrugged again. "You heard her," he said to the two. They shrugged, also, and walked away towards the Great Hall. Draco put his arm around Hermione, walking with her towards the library. "What is it you wish to tell me, darling?" 

Hermione smiled. _He'll react positive, I hope._ "Well," she started. "As you know, I've been sick."

They reached the library and walked in, finding a seat in the back where no one was near. 

"Yes, and how are you feeling?"

"Wonderful, actually. But you see, uhm, it wasn't anything like a virus. Madam Pomfrey told me that-" She stopped. _How to put this? Say it flat out. Now I'm talking to myself. Wonderful. _

"What did she tell you?" 

"She told me that I, well, we- Uhm. You are going to be a daddy."

Draco slowly pulled his arm off of her shoulder. He stood up, pacing up and down the area in which they were. Minutes passed by without a word being said.

"Please say something, Draco." Hermione started to get nervous.

Draco stopped and looked her in the eyes. "I have nothing to say." Out he went, through the library doors, out of Hermione's sight.

"How can he have nothing to say!" Tears started to become the prisoners of her eyes but she wouldn't allow them to fall free. "How can he have nothing to say…"


	2. Lotta

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Disclaimer- I'm hoping you'd be smart enough to figure out that I'm not J.K Rowling, therefore own nothing but the plot. I am making no profits out of this story; it is just a pathetic excuse for a thing called entertainment. 

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A/N: Another crappy chapter, I know…but bear with me, because future chapters get better. If I could somehow change these crappy beginning chapters, trust me, I will. This is a little bit different than the original, but just _a little bit_. Nothing big changed. 

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Chapter 0.02 - Lotta

Draco Malfoy walked swiftly to the Slytherin dungeons. He had some serious thinking to do, so he quickly said the password and walked into the Common Room. Luckily, everyone was either in the Great Hall, library, Quidditch practice- "Oh, shit. I forgot." Into his dormitory he went, though, cursing Quidditch practice for having to be on this day.

"How can she be pregnant?" He asked himself. "Damn it. I least expected this to happen- Exactly. I expected something to happen at the very least, therefore it happened." He threw himself on his bed, closing his eyes to think even clearer. "I wonder if she told Potter and Weasely yet… No, probably not. She wouldn't tell them before she told me." 

Or would she?

Harry and Ron were walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner of course, when they spotted Hermione walking also. She looked terrible.

"Oh, Harry, Ron. Hi." She forced a smile on her face.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" Ron asked first. 

"It's… Draco, really." Telling her best friends might be the best thing to do. 

"What'd he do?" Harry took Hermione's hand in his own, and the three walked to the Gryffindor tower. The password was said and in they went. It was crowded, so they walked up to the boys' dormitory.

"Tell us everything, Hermione. It's always good to vent." Ron put a hand on her shoulder and she sat down on his bed. Harry and Ron stood before her.

"I told him I was pregnant and-"

"Pregnant!" Yelled the two.

"Shush, people might hear you! Yes, _pregnant_. I told him that I was pregnant and you know what he said! He said, 'I have nothing to say.' And left! Walked out of the library, not even looking back. No good-bye!" Her tears were still prisoners.

"Well I wouldn't blame him! If my girlfriend told me she were pregnant-"

"Keep down your voice, Ron!" Hermione said. 

"Hermione…this is totally unlike you. I mean, I figured something had gone wrong when you started 'hanging around' Malfoy, but now you're pregnant? With _his_ child? I don't know what think," Harry said, a confused expression on his face.

"I didn't ask you what you thought, Harry. I know things have been a little… odd, but-"

"_A little! _Hermione, if this were to have happened to you back in third year-" Ron said, but Harry interrupted-

"-it wouldn't have happened, Ron, because back in _third year_ Hermione was Malfoy-free and had common sense." He knew he sounded a bit harsh, but it was the truth. 

Hermione sighed, looking down at her feet. "I've screwed up, haven't I?"

"Not exactly…well, kind of…but…we'll always be here for you, right Harry? Even through the stupid things, we'll be here."

Harry nodded and gave Hermione a hug. "Thank-you," she whispered. "I'm going up to rest for a bit, so I'll see you later, all right?" Harry and Ron both nodded, and after saying good-bye, Hermione left for the girl's dormitory.

__

Damn it! Everyone was in there. They saw her and stopped talking, staring at her, wide-eyed. 

"Is it true?" Asked Lavender Brown.

"Is _what_ true?" Hermione half-yelled.

"That you and Draco and are broken up?"

"Who told you that?" _How the hell does news get spread around so fast? _

"I heard some of the Slytherins talking back in the library. They said you guys had an argument and are not on speaking terms. Then someone just said that you and Draco aren't together anymore while we were in the Common Room. Is it true?" Lavender Brown was very nosey-a-person. 

"I honestly do not know, Lavender. Draco is being a jerk right now and if he wants to act like a five-year-old then I'll let him."

"I really don't want to see you two apart. You are perfect together." That was Parvati Patil, one of Lavender's friends.

"Thanks." Hermione smiled. "Oh- I left my books… Well, 'bye." Hermione turned around and walked down the stairs and into the Common Room. Everyone was starting to go to bed, which was a good thing. She had lied to the girls, because all her books were in the dormitory under her bed. What is she to do?

Hermione walked out into the empty halls outside of the Gryffindor Common Room. Where was she going? She would get caught if she were caught- wait, never mind. Did that make sense? 

Walking around for five minutes did not help at all, really. She soon found herself in the dungeons, unfortunately. It was as if her mind had led her here on purpose. 

Perhaps it did.

Out of the nowhere came no other than the boy Hermione wished not to see at the moment. Quickly she turned around, but it was too late. Obviously he saw her.

"So is it true?" He asked.

"Are you asking me if it's true if we are broken up and not in speaking terms? I do not know." She turned around, facing him.

"How do you not know? You were the one telling everyone we were-"

"No, I wasn't! Do not accuse me of this rumour! I would never say such a thing! You should know that by now."

"If you didn't, then who did? Surely I didn't."

"Of course you didn't, Malfoy. Why would Mr. Perfect do anything wrong?"

"What's up with you? Acting like a bitch towards me."

"I am not!"

"You are so cute when you're angry."

"DON'T try and make friends now, Draco Malfoy! I will not give in THAT easy. Telling me you have nothing to say about YOUR child is really pushing the line, don't you think?"

"My child? How do I know it's mine? Could be Potter or Weasely's-"

__

Slap. Hermione had slapped him, Draco Malfoy. "How dare you! I would _never_ sleep with my best friends! Disgusting. If you actually believe that, Malfoy…"

"What the hell did you do that for?" 

Hermione sighed. "I do not wish to be on speaking terms."

"What?"

"I. Do. Not. Wish. To. Be. On. Speaking. Terms. With. You. Draco. Malfoy."

"So, so we're over?"

"I did not say that."

"You were hinting towards it."

"I absolutely was not!"

"I want us to be over."

__

No, no, no. You don't, you don't, you don't. Hermione was shocked. 

"It was fun while it lasted."

"Fun!" Shrieked Hermione. "How can you say that?"

Draco shrugged. 

"What are you going to do when this child is born? Ignore it? When it acts me, 'Mummy, where is my daddy? All my friends have daddies. Why don't I?' what am I going to say? 'Your daddy was an arrogant bastard who believed that you were not his child, instead the child of one of my best friends'?"

"I don't need to take this shit from a Mudblood like yourself." He began to walk in the direction he intended to when he first came out of the Slytherin Common Room.

"You made a child with this Mudblood. Remember that." 


	3. Desideri sessuali

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Disclaimer- While beginning to type out "disclaimer", I accidentally typed out "desire". Figure it out.

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A/N: Eh…I tried touching this chapter up, but I don't know what else to do…I need help…serious help…for even writing this story…

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Chapter 0.03 - Desideri sessuali

Walking back to the Gryffindor tower, Hermione was so caught up in her thoughts that she wasn't paying attention as to where she was going. She bumped into something tall, yes, but it wasn't a wall… 

Hermione rubbed her forehead, looking up to the thing, or person, she ran in to. "Sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to…" 

"It is quite all right, my dear. You seem troubled. Care to talk about it?" Professor Dumbledore looked down at Hermione, that twinkle in his eyes that told you he knew something.

__

Figures. He probably already knows most of it. "Yes, sir," Hermione nodded. _He'll understand better than Ron and Harry, anyways. …And Draco._

They walked down the halls and into Dumbledore's office (after of course saying the password to the stone statue). Hermione hadn't yet been in here. She found it quite interesting.

"If I am correct, Miss Granger, I believe you are… pregnant." Dumbledore offered her a seat and took his own behind his desk. 

"Er, yes, Professor, I am…" A slight shade of pink crept upon Hermione's cheeks.

"And who would be the father of this child, Miss Granger?"

__

Why is he asking, doesn't he know? It's all too obvious… "Mal- Draco, sir."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "You do know the consequences of becoming a parent at such a young age, do you not, Miss Granger?" 

Hermione sighed. "Having less of a life than I already do?"

"I'm quite afraid so. But a child is a lot of responsibly, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded. 

"I will leave you to tell your parents of your pregnancy."

"Thank-you, Professor…"

"If there is anything you need, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask. I'm sure Poppy can take care of any medical needs you may have." Dumbledore smiled.

"Thank-you, again, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded, and Hermione walked out of her headmaster's office.

Walking back up to the Gryffindor tower, Hermione couldn't help but notice a door ajar. _It must be an unused classroom, but who's in it? _Curiosity got the better of her this time. She walked over to the door, peeking in as much as she could. 

__

Stupid, thought Draco. _I am so stupid!_ He slapped himself on the head, punishing himself for being so rude towards Hermione. He was now in an empty classroom, trying to focus on his thoughts but could not because of the loud footsteps of _someone_… _Damn it. _

Things got quiet all of the sudden, and Draco wondered why. His question was soon answered by a creak from the door. _Has to be another student_, Draco thought as he stood up to see who it was.

Walking over to the door, he opened it, revealing this mystery person. _A bit nosey, if you ask me._

Hermione was shocked to see no other than Draco standing in front of her. _Speak of the devil._

"What are you in here for?" She asked.

"Like it's any of your business, Granger," said Draco. He walked back over to the table and sat on the bench.

Hermione walked over to him, but did not stand close at all. "I- if you don't want me to have the baby, I can go to an abortion clinic in the Muggle world. You know about them, don't you?" _Did I just say that…?_

Draco said nothing. 

"Why are you so angry with me, Draco? What did I do wrong? Get pregnant? Let me remind you that you _helped_ me get pregnant." Hermione sat on a chair nearby. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then he spoke. "You are no longer a part of my life. Do whatever you wish with the child."

"Are you for real? You want me to vanish from your life because I got pregnant?"

"There are things you don't understand, Granger."

"You're right. I do not understand why the hell you are acting this way towards me! I get pregnant and you hate me. Are you embarrassed, it that it? Embarrassed because you made love to a Mudblood and got her pregnant." 

"It is not because of you being a Mudblood! If I cared so much of you being one I wouldn't have made love to you, I wouldn't have even been your boyfriend. Like I said, there are things you don't understand. You never _will_ understand them."

"Oh, really? Are you sure? Try me."

Draco almost smiled. He loved it when Hermione asked him to "try her" on various questions to see if she really did understand. He restrained himself, though, and inhaled. "It's not the same anymore. I used to dream of having children with you and you being my wife. We would live together forever, happy. But now you really _are_ pregnant and it's not the same. It happened too fast. Being parents at the age of seventeen wasn't exactly how I wished it to be. We're too young. You won't be able to live out your youth like you should. People may think differently of you now, something I don't want you to go through." He paused. "If you want to go through with an abortion, I'll pay for it all."

"If I aborted my baby, I'd be a terrible, terrible girl."

"You suggested it first."

"At that moment I would have done anything to keep your love. But now I am starting to wonder: Why want the love of a man who wishes you out of his life for getting pregnant when you could want the love of a man who doesn't care how he lives out his youth, as long as it is with his beloved?" Hermione walked up to Draco. "I understand, Draco." She leaned down, pressing her lips against his. She softly kissed his lips, then his cheek, and whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry for everything." She pulled away from him, turned around and started walking towards the door. Before leaving, she turned around and stared at him dead in the eyes. "You can resume your life now. Be a Death Eater, go along and be the next Lucius. Hell, be the next Dark Lord. See if I give a fuck." 

Draco thought about what Granger had just said. "You don't give a fuck, huh, Granger?"

Hermione just stared at him. "Not now, not ever."

"Good. You'll be the first Mudblood dead when I become a Death Eater. Don't know what I was thinking, dating a Mudblood. Put me on a love potion, eh, Granger?"

"No, Malfoy. You know as well as I do that love potions are against the rules." She was going to remain calm and collected no matter what. She was going to _try_, at least. She could feel the tears winning her over for about the third time that day. She swallowed hard, blinking her eyes a few times to get the tears back. Hermione had had enough; she couldn't take it anymore. Lowering her head, she walked out of the room. 

Draco watched her go. "Fuck."

Hermione ran back to Gryffindor tower, still trying to hold back the tears. She wasn't having much luck though, because she felt something wet crawl down her cheek. Wiping her face with her hand, she ran up the flights of stairs she needed to, finally making it to the Fat Lady's portrait. Saying the password awfully fast, Hermione ran through the common room, attracting attention from the few people in there. (Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Lavender and Parvati)

"Wonder what's up with her?" Ron asked, watching Hermione run up to her dormitory.

"_Ron_, don't be such a dunce!" Ginny stood up from the couch in which she was sitting next to Harry and walked up the stairs to comfort Hermione. Or at least try to.

Lavender and Parvati both watched Ginny, and decided on going up themselves, but Harry stopped them. "You better just let Ginny handle this. She's good at this."

The two girls just sighed and sat back down, obeying the Almighty Boy-Who-Unfortunately-Lives.


	4. Essendo piacevole

**Disclaimer-** Hi, my name is Kaye and I live in New Jersey, America. I am in no way claiming I own Harry Potter for that belongs to J.K Rowling. 

Chapter 0.04 

Ginny entered the girl's dormitory, closing the door quietly behind her. Looking around the room, she saw Hermione lying on her bed on her stomach. Her head was buried in her pillow, allowing Ginny to hear only the muffled sobs Hermione was letting out.

"Hey, Hermione?" Ginny walked over to the bed, kneeling on the floor. "

Hermione held her head up for Ginny to see, then flopped it back down into her pillow. 

"You want to tell me what happened?" 

Again, Hermione picked up her head from her pillow. She turned around, lying on her back, looking at Ginny. She nodded slightly, letting out a sigh while tears still fell down her cheeks. Inhaling, Hermione began. "I don't know if Harry and Ron have told you or not but-"

"Your pregnant, yes, they have told me. By Draco?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I thought he'd be happy about this. I know it's not like we planned on having a child but I didn't think he'd react the way he did. He got angry. Not angry as in Harry when he sees Snape, but angry as in… How he used to be! He called me Mudblood. He said I'd be the first Mudblood he kills when he becomes a Death Eater." Hermione sobs continued. "That's what scares me. He's not all-talk like he seems. I'm afraid he'll actually do it- I'm scared he'll kill us.

"Ginny, he's not the same. I mean, he isn't… He's not even the old Draco. He's changed just because of my getting pregnant. I told him I would get an abortion if he wanted… But I don't understand what his problem is!" She cried harder into her pillow, turning her head away from Ginny.

Ginny didn't know what to say, so she did the next best thing. Standing up, she sat on the side of Hermione's bed. Reaching out her arms, Ginny enveloped Hermione into a hug. Hermione was her best friend, like a sister to her. "Shh, Hermione. It's okay. Everything will be okay."

Hermione hugged Ginny back, slowing her crying. "No it won't, Ginny. It will be worse. In class… I'll have to face him. I can't do it. I can't do it…" Hermione was no longer crying. Her expression as well as voice was impassive. 

"Hermione, yes you can. You can do it; I know you can. Harry and Ron will be there for you."

"That's just what I need. Harry and Ron to 'be there for me'. They'll ruin things… I know they mean no harm, but sometimes Ron goes too far… I'm afraid they'll say something."

"They won't say anything if you tell them not to."

Hermione shrugged. "I guess so."

"Look, Hermione. Just talk to them. You don't have to tell them what you told me, but tell them not to say anything at all to Malfoy. Say it will only make matters worse."

Hermione wasn't as worried about Ron and Harry as she sounded. What she was really worried about what Draco. What he has said… "Ginny, do you think he'll kill us for real?"

"Hermione, I already told you-"

"What if you're wrong? Remember, now, I am a 'Mudblood' and this child is a half-blood. I hate being a Mudblood…"

"Don't call yourself that! Blood shouldn't matter; you know the only ones who care are-"

"Sadistic maniacs serving and honouring their Dark Lord by fulfilling tasks such as raping innocent women and children, and not to forget, most of all, _killing_ _Mudbloods_?"

"Hermione, you're making this impossible."

"I'm only stating facts."

Draco, now safe in the Slytherin dungeons paced back and forth in his room. He had told everyone he needed some time to think, shooting death glares to anyone who started to object. _Still intimidated by me? After sleeping with a Mudblood…_

Draco sighed, sitting on his bed. Resting his elbows on his knees he put his face in his hands. He hadn't intended to be so harsh towards Hermione. Anger got the better of him this time.

"Why did I say those things? Why am I even mad at her…" 

_You're mad at her because you're mad at yourself. You got her pregnant and are putting the blame on her; taking out your anger on her. _

"Just a Mudblood anyways…" Draco stood up, unlocked the door, then walked back to his bed and lay down. Turning out the lights, he soon drifted into a very unpleasant sleep.

_A young girl was seen walking down the halls. She looked pretty pregnant, at least eight or nine months. Suddenly she stopped, dropped her books; clutching her stomach with her hand as she sunk against the wall. Sitting on the floor, which had to be somewhere in the dungeons presumably near the Potions classroom, the young girl looked up and starting yelling…_

_"Draco, help me! Don't just… stand there… Fetch a professor, do something!" The girl was yelling at him, but as soon as he could reply…_

Draco awoke from the dream, thanking that it was just a dream, and looked around the dormitory. He noticed it must've been late now, seeing some of the other students in bed. He sighed, sitting up. 

"Damn dream," he whispered to himself.

Hermione awoke the next morning, feeling slightly better but not quite 100% satisfactory. It was still early, seeing all the girls were still asleep. She got up and gathered her books and uniform and robe, heading towards the showers. 

_One thing that'll help me calm down. Nice, long, hot shower. Why didn't I think of it before?_ Hermione thought, stripping of her clothing once the water was turned on. Sliding under the water, Hermione started to feel even better. It felt good, the water massaging her back as she washed her hair. _Tomorrow is Saturday. What shall I do with my lovely weekend now that I have extra time on my hands? _Quickly washing her body and face, Hermione stepped out of the shower and threw a towel around her. She felt much better now, for sure.

Dressing herself in her uniforms and robe, Hermione brushed her teeth and combed her hair. Decided that today she wanted to look nice, she put a small spell on her hair to make it pin straight. Applying a bit of make-up here and there, Hermione was finally done. _One of the good things about waking up an hour before the others: all the time you could possibly need in the shower._

Walking into the common room, Hermione noticed Harry and Ron sitting on one of the couches. They seemed to be in deep conversation, about what she didn't care to know, and decided it'd be best to leave them be. That didn't mean she'd leave, though, she'd just sit on the other side of the room and read a book she had just gotten from the library on pregnancy.

Harry and Ron seemed to notice her, though, and stopped their conversation. They looked at each other, then her.

"Hermione, is there something you want to tell us?" Harry asked.

"Hmm?" Hermione was in the middle on reading something very important when Harry happened to want to start this conversation with her. She looked up at them, holding her spot on the page with her finger. "Uhm, no, Harry, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Ginny said to prepare for a conversation about something important-" Ron started when Hermione cut him off.

"Oh, _that_. Listen Harry, Ron. Today in _any_ of our classes with Draco, _do not_ say word to him. If he happens to speak to me, whether it is an offensive term or a polite one, _do not_ say _anything_, at all. Do you understand?"

The two sat there for a few moments, looking shocked. Then they both nodded simultaneously. 

"Good. You would only worsen things, you know. I'm not trying to sound mean, but you three really don't like each other. If he happens to say something to you, will you let me handle it?"

"Yeah, of course, Hermione. But we wouldn't ruin your, er, 'relationship' with Draco." Ron looked a bit hurt with Hermione thinking he would do such a thing.

Signing, Hermione went back to reading. "I could only imagine…"

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. "What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, Harry."

"It means something, otherwise you wouldn't have said it," Ron chimed it. 

Sighing, Hermione stood up, closing her book. "We're going to be late for breakfast." Walking to the portrait door, she opened it. She brought her book to read while eating. 

Ron and Harry soon stood up themselves and ran after Hermione. "Hey, 'Mione, wait up!" Harry yelled out while running up to her, Ron in tow. 

Hermione slowed down a bit to let the two catch up to her. 

Walking towards the Great Hall as well, Draco couldn't help but notice the "Golden Trio" walking happily. Feeling a bit of jealousy run through his veins, he quickly reminded himself of what happened the night before. He cursed in his head, walking through the doors of the Great Hall.

Seeing Draco walk into the Great Hall, Hermione turned to her friends. "Uh, Harry, I don't think I'm too hungry anymore. I'll meet you in class-"

"You're going to face him one way or another. Why not now and get it over with. Come on, Hermione," Harry said. He and Ron pulled her towards the doors. Walking inside, the Harry and Ron noticed people giving Hermione looks. Of course the Slytherins were giving her looks of disgust, but the other three houses gave her looks of pity.

"Just ignore them," Ron whispered into her ear, referring to the Slytherin table. Hermione nodded her head 'yes' and they walked to their table and sat down. Hermione was facing the Slytherin table, unfortunately, while Harry and Ron sit with their back facing them.

She looked over to the Slytherin table on instinct, and saw that Draco looking at her. He smirked and whispered something in Pansy's ear. He then kissed her neck, her ear, and finally her lips. "What exactly is he playing at?" Hermione muttered to herself. She wasn't going to let herself cry this time, especially in front of everyone. Reminding herself that she needed to be strong, she picked up her goblet of pumpkin juice and took a sip. She almost spat it all over Harry and Ron and it weren't for her remembered she had a napkin. 

The two boys looked at her, concern written all over their faces. "What's wrong?" Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head. "It just tastes different. I don't like it anymore." She noticed she had a certain pair of eyes on her, though tried hard not to meet them. She eventually failed and looked up to the blonde Slytherin.

Draco noticed Hermione spitting out her pumpkin juice with a funny look on her face. He let go of Pansy, returning to his thoughts. _She's just a Mudblood, why do you care about her? She's gotten you into trouble at home… But she didn't do anything wrong… _ He was brought back to reality when he noticed Hermione looking back at him. She looked sad… But then she stood up, with a book in hand, and bid farewell to Potter and Weasely. She started towards the Great Hall doors, but first looked back at him. Draco noticed her shake her head and continue out the doors.

Hermione sighed, making her way to her first class of the day, Potions. Unfortunately, Draco was her partner. He must have asked Snape to let him be her partner, because she knew for certain that Snape wasn't the type to let friends and friends be together. But now they were enemies, right? _Enemies… _

Walking into the classroom, she noticed it empty. Usually Snape would be in there grading papers or such, but this morning he wasn't. Hermione shrugged and made her way towards Draco's and her table. Sitting down on the bench, she reopened her book and started to read from when she was interrupted by Harry and Ron in the common room. But for some reason, she couldn't concentrate on her book. Her thoughts wandered to Draco and last night. _You think he said those things out of anger? Maybe he didn't mean them… Oh of course he meant them. Didn't he? _Sighing in frustration, she placed her book on the table and rested her head in her arms that were folded on the table. 

She must have drifted into a sleep, because when she lifted up her head the classroom was starting to fill. She looked to her left, expecting to see Draco there next to her. He wasn't there, though, which got Hermione worried. She didn't want to be alone in Potions. Sure, she could do a perfect potion but do you think Professor Snape would admit to that? Turning her head to her right, she saw Harry and Ron walking to their seats at the table on the other side of the classroom. She sighed, wishing they hadn't been so far from her. She felt bad for Ron, who had to be partners with Pansy Parkinson, but Harry got off quite easy, getting stuck with Goyle. He wasn't that bad, just a bit brain-dead.

Someone sat down on the other side of the bench, startling Hermione out of her thoughts. She sat up straight and reached for her book but it wasn't there. She looked around the room frantically, but then her eyes rested upon the body sitting to her left. She noticed a book in his hands, and no doubt it was hers.

"May I have my book back, please?" She asked sweetly. She didn't want to start on a bad start with him today. 

Draco walked into the Potions room, looking for Hermione. He spotted her at their table, obviously dazed in her thoughts. He walked over to their bench and sat down. Seeing a book on the table, he picked it up, curious.

"_All About Pregnancy_…?" Opening the first couple of pages, Draco started to read a bit of it. He was so caught up in the book that he hadn't noticed its owner asking for its return.

"Draco, please, may I have my book back?" She turned her head to his, but was startled when she found him actually reading the book. "Interesting, is it?"

Draco shook his head and closed the book, finally hearing what she was saying. "Just curious as to what you are reading."

"I'm sure." She took her book and placed it in one of her robe pockets. The book wasn't _that_ big, so it fit fine in the largest pocket. 

For a few seconds, both had forgotten about the previous night. They talked civilly, acting as if nothing happened. Reality must have settled in to both of them when Professor Snape walked into the classroom. 

"Today we will be making a Truth Potion…" Snape went on about how to make it, handing each group a parchment with the directions on it. 

"Truth potion? Why do we need to make this…?" Hermione sighed, standing up. She started to read the instructions on the parchment when something made her sit down again. She looked up, only to see Draco with the parchment.

"You sit. I'll get it." He started to read off what he needed when Hermione stood up again.

"No, no, it's okay, I can get it." 

Draco looked down at her still. He was taller than her, him being 6'0" and her being 5'4". "I'll get the ingredients. You can stir."

"Fair enough," she said, sitting down. She watched him get everything they needed, carrying it carefully back to their table.

"Don't want my Mudblood working too much, what now that's she going to be a mummy," Draco whispered into her ear.

She stood up, grabbing the parchment from him. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not, it's what you are."

"You're an asshole, do you hear me calling _you_ that? I don't think so." She started to add different ingredients when he grabbed her wrist. They looked deep into each other's eyes, trying to find what the other is feeling.

"You shouldn't talk back," he said, releasing her wrist.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"I am." She looked down to the cauldron, adding more ingredients. "Want to try the potion when it's finished?"

"You can." Draco returned his focus to the cauldron as well.

Hermione grinned. "Are you going to ask me preposterous questions, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco smirked as well. "I just might, Miss Granger." _I just might._

After finishing their potion, they called Professor Snape over. They were the first group finished, but what else would you expect with the two of the smartest students at Hogwarts?

"Very well, looks well enough to try," Snape said, nodding, then returned to his desk.

Draco looked at Hermione, who was starting to become unsure of the potion. 

"What exactly are you going to ask me, Draco?" Hermione asked, looking at the potion that was now in a vial.

Draco smirked. "I can't tell you, Granger. Just drink some," he said, handing the vials to her. 

"I swear, Draco, if you embarrass me in front of everyone with silly questions-"

Draco held up a hand to her mouth. "I wouldn't dream of it." He noticed Hermione looking at him uneasily. "Come on, Granger, just drink it."

Hermione sighed, drinking a bit of the potion. She started to feel a bit funny, but then her worries and thoughts were left behind. Her eyes were glazed over and she was staring straight at Draco, sitting on the bench.

"Lovely," Draco whispered. "Now for our first question." He leaned in towards her ear, knowing he was attracting attention, and whispered into her ear. "Are you really pregnant, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes."

"I am the father?" He knew this was a very stupid question to ask, and felt bad asking because he should trust her. But he asked anyway, knowing the answer he would get.

"Yes."

_One last question,_ he thought. He pulled away from her ear, looking around the room at the people who were watching him. He noticed Harry and Ron were watching, but what else was new? He moved in towards her again, but not like before with his mouth near her ear. 

"What is your fantasy, Granger?" That familiar smirk kept upon his face once more.

**Author's Notes-** Yay! Another chapter. This one is longer, which I am happy about. I was up until 3.00 A.M last night writing this. Well, half of it. It took a while to figure out what I wanted to happen. Anyway, please review. ^_^


	5. Gelosia e bugie

**Disclaimer**- rettoP yrraH now ton od I. 

Chapter 0.05 

Draco hadn't asked the question quietly at all; in fact Ron and Harry were about to walk over to Draco when Professor Snape stopped them.

"Get back to your potions, ten points from Gryffindor- each!" Draco smirked at this, focusing his attention back on Hermione. The room got noisy again; making it hard for other's to here her answer.

"Well," Hermione started, "first we could smear something sticky… like honey… all over our bodies. Then lick it off each other… Mm, and then we could have wild, sadistic sex-"

Draco cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth. She was talking rather loudly and he didn't want anyone hearing. Her fantasy should be for him to know alone, for he was the one who'd grant her it. 

Then something clicked in his brain. _You're angry with her, remember? She's pregnant, and you're angry… _Taking away his hand from her mouth, he regained some of the brains that were somehow stolen from his skull.

Coming off the potion, Hermione blinked. It was only a small amount that she drank, so she wouldn't stay like that for more than five minutes. She looked at Draco, who was resting his head on his hands, elbows on the table. She noticed something was wrong, so her instincts came into play. She moved closer to him, stroking his arm with her hand. She was tense, and she knew he sensed it because he lifted up his head, looking at her. He smirked.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked; a smile making it's way onto her face as well.

"Your 'fantasy' is very interesting, Granger." He saw her cheeks turn a reddish colour, pulling her hand away as all.

"Is that what you asked me, Draco? My fantasy? Pretty stupid question if you ask me." 

"Oh is it? Sounds fun, actually. Honey everywhere… Tongues in motion…"

Hermione couldn't believe he was saying this _in class_. She playfully hit his harm, causing him to stop smirking. He looked serious now, which made her think that she made the wrong move.

They sat in silence for the rest of the class, which wasn't long. The bell finally rang and the students ran out of the classrooms like crazy. Hermione stood up, making sure her book was still in her pocket. She noticed it was, and sighed in relief. She made her way out the doors, on her way to Transfiguration.

Their classes had finally ended, and so had dinner. Draco was in his dormitory, thinking of Potions class. He didn't want to be hard on her, so he made her sit while he got the ingredients. He only called her Mudblood once today, _or was it twice?_ He tried being civil… Though the questions he asked may have been a bit odd and her having the guts to hit him _playfully_… 

Hermione was with Ginny at the Quidditch pitch. Harry had practice and had asked the two girls to come with him. Ron was now on the team as well, a chaser. He was almost as good as Harry, _but never as good as Draco…_

"Hermione, how were your classes today?" Ginny asked, noticing her best friend staring off into space.

Hermione was brought back to reality with the sound of Ginny's voice. She smiled to her. "Fine."

"How was Draco?"

"Fine." 

Silence.

"You know, in Potions, we made a Truth Potion."

"Really?" Ginny asked.

"Draco asked me what my 'fantasy' was."

"I thought you couldn't remember what people ask you?"

"I don't. He told me."

"Your 'fantasy'? You mean… sexual desires?"

Hermione blushed. "Yes."

Ginny couldn't help but grin. "Looks like he still fancies you. _Big time_." Seeing her friend become totally red, Ginny asked another question. "What else did he ask you?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask, nor did he tell me."

"You should have asked. Why didn't you?"

Hermione shrugged. "It didn't seem relevant at the moment."

"Hmm. Well what were you two doing that made it irrelevant?" Ginny winked.

"Nothing _like that_, Ginny! He looked…I don't know, he was just sitting there and then looked at me and told me that my 'fantasy' was 'very interesting'. I was rubbing his arm, you know, like this." Hermione stroked Ginny's arm, showing her how she was doing it to Draco. "He didn't push me away."

"So then last night was just a bad night."

Hermione nodded slightly. "He said that he 'didn't want his Mudblood working too much, now that she's going to be a mummy'. He called me Mudblood."

"See, maybe he isn't angry. Maybe he's just in denial…" Ginny's voice trailed off as Hermione went into deep thought.

_Last night and today seem totally surreal. One minute he's threatening to kill me, the next he's telling me he doesn't want me working too much. What's up with him? I wish he wouldn't act like this. It's confusing… Augh._

"Hey, Gin?" Hermione asked; eyes fixed on the ground.

"Hm?" Ginny was watching Harry fly around.

"Do you think I'm… a slut?"

Ginny looked at Hermione; surprised she would ask such a question. "A _what_? Hermione, you've only slept with Draco. You can't be a slut. …Unless there are other men in your life that you have not told me about?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "I just hear things."

"Like what?"

"In the library… common room… they think I've slept with Ron and Harry, as well as Draco…"

"You haven't, though, right?"

Hermione nearly choked while inhaling. "No, Ginny, no, of course not! That's just… well, gross. No offence to your brother or Harry, but I wouldn't sleep with them even if I were paid. They're my best friends, that'd be just wrong." Hermione and Ginny both sighed. "Draco thought the baby was Harry or Ron's."

"But it's not, so you don't have to worry."

"Christmas holidays are coming up."

"As well as the Christmas Ball." Ginny smiled.

"Are you going to ask Harry?" Hermione giggled.

"Maybe. Should I? You think he'll say yes?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I honestly do."

There was a brief moment of silence. "You should ask Draco."

"You know he'll say no, Gin."

"No, I don't. I don't know what he'll say. Plus, it sounds to me like he still fancies you. Just ask him."

"But what about Ron, what if he doesn't have a date?"

"Trust me, he will."

Hermione smiled. "All right."

"So are you staying for Christmas holidays?"

"No, I'm afraid I'll have to go home. My parents will want me to explain how this all happened," Hermione said, pointing towards her stomach. 

"Good luck."

Hermione was in her dormitory, getting ready for bed, when she realized something. "Ginny?"

"Hm?" Ginny was already in her bed, blankets covering her body.

Hermione quickly put on her robe, covering her pyjamas. She reached for an empty container that looked liked it once held medication. "I need to get something from Madam Pomfrey. If anyone asks, tell them that, all right?" 

"Yeah, sure," Ginny yawned.

Hermione was walking to the infirmary, when she stopped, hearing footsteps behind her. She turned around, seeing no one. She continued walking, still hearing the footsteps. She decided to turn around while still walking, which was a good plan because she finally caught her follower.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked, her voice hinting out sarcasm and humour. 

The person in front of her smirked. "Just thinking of that fantasy of yours… Can't get it out of my mind."

"That's too bad, maybe you'll think before you speak next time." She turned around, walking once more.

"You mean last night?"

Hermione sighed. "That's exactly what I mean."

"You still want me."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around, walking towards him. She looked up in his eyes. "Do I, now?"

"You said 'we' when you were explaining that fantasy to me… Meaning, you and I."

"I never stopped wanting you, Draco." She saw Draco's lip curl into a small, barely-there smile. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you for last night. That will take a long time to forgive. The things you said, Draco…" She shook her head. "I don't know if I _can_ forgive you." She shuffled the container in her robe pockets.

Draco looked down to her, not knowing that to say. Then she spoke again.

"But I'm sure if you do a lot of sucking up, you know like buying me gifts and taking me to expensive restaurants… Oh I'm sure I'll start to think about forgiving you."

"What?! Hermione, that's _crazy!_"

"What can you say, so am I. Treat me like a princess, Draco. After all, I am pregnant with _your_ baby. It's the least you can do since you don't want me part of your life anymore. Remember? You said that. You also said that you'd kill me once you become a Death Eater." Hermione crossed her arms, trying not to become sad.

"You haven't heard that Muggle saying, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me'?"

"I've heard of it," she almost spat. "But how can they not hurt me? Telling me you'd kill me? Telling me you didn't want me a part of your life anymore? How the hell can they not hurt me then, Draco?" Why did he have to act this way? "One day you hate me, then you love me, and then you hate me again! Make up your mind, already!" 

Draco just stared at her. Why had he said those words to her? He was so angry that night… He really had no reason to be angry. She just told him she was pregnant, that's all. Sure, he had trouble accepting it but now he didn't… At least _he_ thought so.

"Look, Draco. Why don't I just get an abortion? I'll get it done during Christmas holidays. Of course, it is quite a bit of money… You know; if you could lend me some…"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll just have to give it to you later."

Hermione smiled. "That's all right."

They both stood there for a few minutes without saying a word. Both were thinking over their conversation. Did they really want to abort their baby? Was it better this way? 

"Hermione?" Draco looked into her eyes. Seeing her smile eased him. "You think you could come to the Christmas ball with me?"

Hermione smiled more, nodding. "Sure, I'd love to." 

_Say you're sorry_, something told Draco in his mind. _Say it, do it, just say you're sorry!_ "I… I'm s-s-orry for uhm, you know, acting that way… Saying those things…" Draco scratched the back of his head, wondering how Hermione would take this: forgive him or remember what happened and be angry? Much to his surprise, she hugged him.

"Yes, so am I." 

Draco felt warm tear drops running through his robe but paid no mind. Instead he kissed her neck, wrapping his arms around her. 

Both Hermione and Draco slept well that night (of course after Hermione had gotten her vitamins from Madam Pomfrey); considering Hermione had forgiven him, and they were together again. But one thing still haunted Hermione's mind- abortion. Would she actually go through with it? Was it what _she_ wanted, or what_ Draco_ wanted? 

Upon awakening, Draco remembered the previous night's conversation with Hermione. He was happy that she'd forgiven him, but he couldn't help but think that he shouldn't have been forgiven at all. What he said was really harsh… He shouldn't have even said it. Getting out of bed, he remembered it was Saturday. _Saturday_, he thought to himself. He could spend the day with her; _Gryffindor had Quidditch practice this morning._

Grabbing a towel and a pair of clean clothes, Draco went over to the showers. He quickly washed up and dressed, for it was almost seven and he wanted to be able to catch Hermione before she went off to watch Gryffindor practice.

About twenty minutes later, Draco emerged from the bathroom and walked out of the dungeons and to the Gryffindor tower. Perhaps if he were early enough, Hermione would still be inside getting dressed… Much to his dismay, Lavender and Parvati came out of the portrait hole and told Draco she'd already gone. Sighing, he turned around and headed for the Quidditch pitch. He walked awfully fast, only to get to the pitch faster. Upon arriving, he saw a redheaded girl sitting next to a brown-haired girl, giggling and gossiping. Draco tiptoed behind her, putting his hands over her eyes. He heard her gasp, and then kissed her neck. He whispered softly into her ear. "How's mummy today?"

Grinning, Hermione turned around and saw Draco sitting behind her and Ginny. She looked over to Ginny, who was trying her hardest not to pay attention the two. Hermione smiled at her friend, and then returned her gaze towards Draco. "Fine, just fine. What brings thee here?" 

"Well," he started, looking around the pitch. "I was hoping we'd go to Hogsmeade together. That is, if you would want to."

"You could buy me a dress for the ball," she suggested, smiling.

Draco returned his gaze to Hermione. "I could."

"We could buy things for the baby," she suggested again. Hermione spotted someone walking out of the corner of her eye, and instinctively turned her gaze towards that person. He was walking straight to her, broom in hand.

"You still up for the broom ride, 'Mione?" It was Ron. 

Hermione smiled at him, and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Hold on a second, all right?" Ron nodded. She then turned to Draco. "Talk to you later, all right?" She stood up, and then walked to Ron. Both got onto his broom, Hermione's arms wrapped around him tightly.

Jealousy was boiling in Draco's blood. She had always turned down Draco's requests for her to join him on a broom ride, but was now happily going with Ron. She even looked _happy_ up there with him… Still sitting on the ground, Draco sighed.

Ginny obviously noticed he was still behind her and turned around. "If you didn't act like such a jerk, maybe you'd still have a chance with her."

This startled Draco. "Excuse me, Weasely?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"You think it's for the better? _Ron_ would treat her better, wouldn't he? She'd be happy, our child would be happy, everyone would be bloody happy."

"She doesn't fancy him."

"Sure about that, Weasely? Look at them smiling up there. Doesn't fancy him, eh? Why'd she just fuckin' kiss him, then?"

Ginny gasped. She looked over her shoulder, sure enough seeing Hermione and Ron kissing.

**A/N- **I haven't forgotten, don't worry. This week has been kind of hectic. I've been thinking of possible outcomes for the story, and also been rewriting this chapter. It took me a couple of days to do so, mostly because my sister was always in the room when I wanted to write. (I hate it when she watches me write) Thank-you all for the reviews, I love them. Bad cliffhanger, you think? I don't know, maybe it is. 


	6. Spaventato

**Disclaimer-** Like I've been saying since chapter one: I do not own Harry Potter. The lyrics used in this chapter are Christina Aguilera's; also not mine.

Chapter 0.06 

Hermione felt the broom lowering closer to the ground. She didn't want to get off just yet; she liked the feeling when she kissed Ron. It was as if all her problems had disappeared. When Ron pulled away, she blushed. 

Ron smiled. "You're a great kisser, 'Mione."

Smiling, she blushed even more. "Thank-you, Ron. I could say the same for you."

Hearing a cough, the two turned around, seeing Ginny. Hermione realized now that Draco must have seen her kissing Ron. _Shit_, she thought.

Getting off the broom, Hermione smiled. "So, are you two still up for Hogsmeade?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, let's just wait for Harry, all right?"

Just as Ron said that, Harry tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm here," he said.

Ginny grinned. "Great. Come on, then."

Hogsmeade was just as crowded as ever. The lines for checkout were long, causing everyone to wait in line for at least ten minutes. 

"You know, Gin, maybe all this happened for a reason," Hermione said while looking through a rack of dresses.

"What?" 

"You know, breaking up with Draco. Maybe it happened so I could get to know Ron and be _his_ girlfriend." Picking up a dress she liked, she showed Ginny.

"That's pretty," she said. "_Are_ you Ron's girlfriend?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet anyway."

"Malfoy seemed a little angry when he saw you and Ron kissing."

Hermione shrugged. "So?"

Ginny sighed. The two girls walked out of the store empty-handed. Neither could find a dress they liked and decided to go searching elsewhere. 

Upon returning to Hogwarts, both girls were still empty-handed. They had left Ron and Harry in a Quidditch shop, since both were practically ignoring the girls. Hermione was surprised that she didn't see Draco anywhere; he usually went. 

Just as Hermione and Ginny were making their way to the library, Draco popped up. _Speak of the devil_, Hermione thought. _Or rather, _think_ of the devil. I_ _wonder what he wants?_ Putting on a smile, she told Ginny she'd catch up with her in a bit. 

Draco walked over to Hermione, seeing her smiling. "What you so happy about?"

Hermione shrugged. "Oh, nothing, really."

Shaking his head, Draco grabbed Hermione's wrist. "We need to talk," he said quietly, yet there was a hint of anger in his voice.

"About…?" __

"Don't play dumb, Granger. You know exactly what we need to talk about. You and that pathetic excuse for a pureblood." He was taking her to the dungeons in his dormitory, since mostly everyone was still at Hogsmeade. 

Reaching their destination, Draco said the password. He pulled Hermione inside the common room, seeing only two other students in there. They looked at him oddly for bringing a Gryffindor in there, but Draco paid no mind. They walked up to his dormitory, closing and locking the door.

Hermione was scared; she didn't know what he was going to do to her. Draco told her to sit on his bed and so she did. 

"Want to know how much it hurts, Granger?" Draco pulled out a switchblade from a trunk at the end of his bed. "Want me to show you?" Without receiving an answer, he took the blade and ran it along her arm. She winced in pain, but kept herself from crying. She could see the blood oozing out of the open in her skin, causing her stomach to turn. "It's like that," he whispered. "Except it keeps on going, never ending. Stab after stab; cut after cut. It hurts like hell."

Hermione just sat there, staring down at Draco, who was now kneeling in front of her. 

"You think it happened for a reason, eh? Getting pregnant, fighting with me? You think that all happened for you to be with _Weasely_? Fuck, Hermione, it happened to make us _stronger_. Not weaker," he sighed, looking up at her. Her eyes were becoming watery. "You don't have to attend the ball with me. Go with your precious Weasel. And here's money to get an abortion," he pulled out money from his robe pockets. "£200, enough?" 

Hermione still stared at him, not knowing what to say. Finally she was brought back to reality. "Yes," she said, taking the money. "Can I explain, at least?"

"Explain _what_, Granger? There's _nothing _to explain. I can't believe I even apologized to you. I thought we were all right now. But then you go and lead me on, making me think that I actually had another chance with you." Draco sighed.

Wiping away the blood on her arm with her robe, Hermione stood up. "Ron will be a better boyfriend that you'll ever be."

Draco let out a small laugh. "I find that very hard to believe, Granger."

Hermione glared at him, then stuffed the money in her robe pocket. "_He_ wouldn't cut my arm." With that, she walked over to the door, unlocked it, and stormed out.

"Now _that_ went well," Draco said to himself.

Hermione walked out of the dungeons and up to Gryffindor tower. On her way, she absent-mindedly ran into Ron. 

"Oh, Ron, sorry," Hermione said, smiling.

Ron forced a smile, then said, "'Mione, we need to talk."

"Hm? Oh, yes, we do. I want you to come to the Christmas Ball with me. Will you?"

Now Ron was stuck. He couldn't just blow her off; after all she was one of his best friends. "Uh, yeah, sure. Of course."

Hermione hugged him. "Thanks, Ron. This means a lot to me." Reluctantly, Ron hugged her in return. 

The day of the Christmas Ball had come rather fast, actually too fast for Hermione. She had gotten a dress at the last minute, something from a Muggle store in London. She had sent an owl to her parents asking them to find her one, sort of like an early Christmas gift. The colour was white and had floral lace printings on the fabric. It was spaghetti-strapped and was knee-length. She had fit into it perfectly, every curve of her body in the right place. Her hair was up in a tight bun, with white roses encircling it rather than have the usual scrunchy. Her make-up was done rather simple, consisting of red tinted lip-gloss, white eye shadow, black eyeliner, and skin-tone cover-up. She had put a charm on her skin to make it look as if it were shimmering. Other than that, everything else was done by-hand. The only thing she had forgotten was a pair of shoes. After a few minutes of thinking, she remembered that she had a pair of white slippers in her trunk. They were house slippers, really, but they didn't look like it. She got them out and carefully put them on. She sighed, looking in to the mirror.

"Perfect, I think," she whispered to herself. She looked everything over once last time and left the dormitory. She was hoping that there'd only be a few people left in the common room, and much to her surprise she got her wish. The only remaining people were Ron, Ginny, and Harry.

"Come on, 'Mione! We're going to be _late_!" Ginny said, mocking Hermione. 

Hermione blushed a light shade of red and continue down the stairs. As soon as she got to the bottom of the steps, she heard Ginny gasp. She looked at Ron and Harry, only to see them gawking at her. "Come on, guys, I don't look _that_ nice," she said, trying to break the silence. 

Ginny ran over to Hermione. "Are you _kidding_? You look beautiful, Hermione." 

Hermione blushed even more, muttering a "thanks" to Ginny. "Well, come on then, as Ginny said, 'we're going to be _late_'!" As she said this, the four let out a small bout of laughing.

Before entering the Great Hall, Hermione let out a small prayer that Draco wouldn't be there. _He has no one to go with_, she thought. But realization hit her. _His date will be Pansy…_

As the quartet entered the Great Hall, many people stopped and looked at Hermione. It brought her back memories of their fourth year ball. Her cheeks had a tinge of pink in them as everyone started gawking at her. _Well isn't this nice. _

The four found a table and sat down, listening to one of Dumbledore's yearly speeches before the ball actually began. Hermione looked around for Draco, yet she knew she shouldn't. She finally spotted him, sitting at a table with many Slytherins, Pansy at his side. His arm was encircled around her waist, which made Hermione grow a bit jealous. _Get a hold of yourself; you kissed Ron _right_ in front of him, _she told herself. Ron must've noticed her staring, because before she knew it he was asking her if she was all right.

"'Mione? Are you okay?" Ron asked, looking into her eyes. She smiled.

"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe because your eyes were glued to Malfoy's back!" He hadn't meant to sound at all angered, but it came out that way.

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you," she said, and realized her mistake. "I didn't mean it like that, at all…"

"It's all right, Hermione." He paused, contemplating something in his mind. "You want to dance?" He stood up, offering her his hand.

"Yes, of course," she smiled, taking his hand. They walked to the dance floor, which was already crowded by almost everyone. __

A slow song came on, something Hermione had never heard before. _Must be one of those wizard bands…_ She wrapped her arms around Ron's neck, while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She thought she saw something in his eyes, so curiosity got the better of her and she asked what was wrong.

"What? Oh, it's… 'Mione, you're my best friend and all, and don't get me wrong, you _are_ a great kisser," he started, looking at a very confused Hermione. "Well, it's just that… I kissed you the other day to see if my feelings for you were real. I had a crush on you, and I wanted to see what would happen after I kissed you."

"And what happened?" Hermione asked, trying to hide her emotions. _Something Draco would do… Stop thinking of him! _But she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried.

"I don't know, I guess I don't feel that way for you. I'm sorry, 'Mione, I don't mean to sound rude or something."

Hermione was shocked, actually. She knew she didn't have those feelings for Ron, but couldn't help to think that maybe she will one day if she got to know him. She smiled. "It's all right Ron, really. I guess we both feel the same for each other, then?"

Ron looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I don't like you like _that_."

Ron smiled to her. "Good," he said, just as the song ended. They went back to their table and sat down, talking and eating with everyone else. Hermione couldn't help but wander her eyes over to Draco's table. He was now facing her though was busy eating something. He must have felt her eyes on him, because in a matter of seconds his eyes met hers. She wanted to smile when she noticed how he was looking at her, but didn't. They continued to stare at each other until Hermione motioned her eyes towards the pair of doors. Draco got the signal and started to excuse himself, as did Hermione.

"I just need some fresh air, all right, Ron? It's too stuffy," she said. Ron nodded and she walked out of the Great Hall, seeing that Draco had already managed to get out. She was hoping that they'd be able to talk without any interruptions, such as fighting. 

"Took you long enough," an all-too-familiar voice said. Hermione looked around, and spotted Draco. He was leaning on the wall, looking at her. "You look beautiful."

Once again, Hermione found herself blushing. "Thank-you," she whispered. He walked over to her, keeping a smirk on his face all the while. 

"What happened between you and Weasely?" he asked, placing an arm around her waist. 

"Hm? Oh, nothing, we just don't have 'those kinds of feelings' for each other," she said, looking towards the floor.

"Of course you don't. You only have 'those kinds of feelings' for one person, Hermione. And they say you're _smart_," he added, jokingly. He saw a smile creep upon Hermione's face.

"Have you had those feelings for someone yet?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

_No, don't fall into her trap again_, something told him. But something else was saying, _tell her yes, damn it! _Which side to chose? "Have you?"

"I asked you first." 

"Want to go dance? I heard a slow song coming on," he said, taking her hand in his and pulling her back into the Great Hall.

"Draco, you never answered my question," she reminded him as they walked towards the dance floor. When they stopped, Hermione recognized the song as a Muggle one. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was pretty sure that she had heard it on the radio before. 

"I know that," Draco said as he put his arms around her waist, having her body close to his. Hermione put her arms around his neck, sighing. 

**_When I try to describe_**

**_How I feel when you hold me_**

**_I get butterflies_**

**_I hear lullabies_**

**_It's hard to explain_**

"I have," she said, out of nowhere. Draco looked at her, confused. She smiled. "I have felt 'those feelings' for someone before."

**_Like the scent of a rose_**

**_Or the sound of the rain_**

**_Is too precious and too wonderful_**

**_To give it a name_**

****

Draco smirked, tightening his hold on her. "Before? You don't feel them anymore?"

**_Too beautiful for words_**

**_A symphony inside me_**

**_Too beautiful for words_**

**_I cannot take them lightly_**

**_Can you hear my silent heart?_**

****

"I still do," she whispered. "But he does not feel them for me."

**_It's on the tip of my tongue_**

**_But my lips are still sealed_**

**_Only violins_**

**_And then innocence_**

**_Can show you how I feel_**

****

"Are you sure? Have you asked him?" Draco lowered his mouth to Hermione's ear and kissed it.

**_And I hear them again_**

**_At the end of the day_**

**_I'm all teary eyed_**

**_When we kissed goodbye_**

**_There's nothing I can say_**

****

"Yes," she said, closing her eyes. "But he wouldn't answer me."

**_Too beautiful for words_**

**_A symphony inside me_**

**_Too beautiful for words_**

**_I cannot take them lightly_**

**_Can you hear my silent heart?_****__**

**_Must be a million times_**

**_I tried to express this love of mine_**

**_When it goes this deep_**

**_When it tastes this sweet_**

**_It's not easy to define_**

Both Hermione and Draco said nothing for a minute. "Maybe…" Draco started, but stopped.

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe he's scared…"

**_Too beautiful for words _**

**_A symphony inside me _**

**_Too beautiful for words _**

**_I cannot take them lightly_**

**_Can you hear my silent heart?_**

****

As the song ended, Hermione looked up to Draco. "Scared?"

Draco looked at the floor. "Forget it, forget I said that…"

"No, Draco, why are you scared?" Her arms were still around his neck. Another song was staring to play; another she did not know the name of.

"I'm not scared. I said 'he', not 'I'. Just forget it, all right?" Draco lowered his arms from her waist and began to walk away, but was stopped when he felt someone grab onto his arm. He turned around; it was Hermione. He stared at her for a few seconds before turning around again, leaving the Great Hall and a very confused and sad Hermione.

**A/N-** Two chapters in one day! Yay! I like this chapter the most I think, because of the ball. Another cliff-hanger; kind of? Sorry, I don't like them either, but I had no choice but to stop here. I need to sleep plus I need to watch So Graham Norton in five minutes. 


	7. Regali e sorprese

Disclaimer- 

Chapter 0.07 

"Draco…" Hermione stood on the dance floor for what seemed like ages. It was only until Ron put a hand on her shoulder did she notice a lot of people looking her way. _What is he scared of? _

"It's all right, Hermione," she heard Ron's voice speak. 

_No it's not, Ron, you have no idea how wrong you are…_ She wanted to say that to him, but instead nodded her head, turning to Ron. "Yes; I'm feeling tired. See you in the morning," she said, kissing Ron's cheek goodnight. She waved a good-bye to Ginny and Harry as well, and then walked slowly out of the Great Hall. She was hoping to see Draco standing against the wall like before, but instead found the entire hall empty. _Must've gone back to his dorm… She sighed, walking in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. A million thoughts were floating throughout Hermione's head when she finally made it up those flights of steps, out of breath. __They really should get elevators like they have in Muggle schools… Just as Hermione made her way over towards the Fat Lady, a strong arm grabbed her wrist. _This must be the millionth time he's done that…._ Turning around slowly, Hermione saw Draco standing in front her._

Both stood there, staring at each other. Then Hermione broke the silence. "You always seem to know where I am," she said, with a smile plastered on her face.

"The walls talk," he whispered. He saw Hermione grin and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her cheek lightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I think. Why do you ask?" 

"You aren't alone in that body of yours. Just checking up on you." 

"No, I guess you're right. Though I would feel much better if you told me why you are scared…"

Draco tensed, pulling away from her. "I think I hear Potter and Weasely coming up… Better get to bed, don't want them worrying about you, now do you?" With that, he turned around and left Hermione, walking quickly down the stairs.

Hermione sighed, said the password to the Fat Lady, and walked inside the common room. "Why won't he just tell me…?" She walked up to her dormitory and changed into her pyjamas, carefully placing her dress and slippers in her trunk. She washed off her make-up in the bathroom and then laid down in bed when she heard Ginny coming up the stairs. 

The following day, of course, was the day they'd be leaving for Christmas Holidays. Hermione was a bit saddened by the fact that she won't see Draco for a while but her mood lightened when Draco told her that he'd be going home as well, and they'd be on the train together for a short while. _Maybe I can get _something_ out of him, she thought._

Breakfast passed by awfully fast, and before Hermione knew it she was boarding the Hogwarts Express with Ron, Ginny, and Harry. She didn't see Draco anywhere and gave up on looking. A lot of people went home for holidays, including Harry. He didn't go home to the Dursely's, however, he went to his second home, the Burrow. Ginny was overly excited about this, now that her and Harry were 'going out'.

When entering the train, Hermione once again felt a hand on her wrist. She immediately knew it was Draco and turned around to face him. She knew he wanted to talk, by the look in his eyes, and told the trio that she'd catch up with them later on. Smiling, she let Draco guide her to an empty compartment away from anyone else's. She sat down on one of the seats, while Draco sat in front of her on the other. 

"So?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence. He just stared at her, not saying a word. The train had already started moving so Hermione knew they had been quiet for a few minutes.

"Well," Draco started, clearing his throat. "Good luck."

"Good luck?" she asked in a monotonous-like voice.

"You _are getting an abortion, aren't you?"_

"Yes."

"Well, good luck."

Hermione looked at him oddly, and then turned her gaze out the window. "_Why_ are you scared, Draco?"

"I'm not scared of anything," he denied.

"Don't be stupid. _Everyone is afraid of _something_."_

"Really? Then what are you afraid, Miss Know-it-all?"

Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "You."

"Me?" Draco almost laughed. _She's afraid of me? "Why me?"_

She kept her gaze on the countryside going by before her eyes until she finally answered. "I never know what you are thinking. One minute you like me, the next you hate me. It's like I said before, you need to make up your mind. You either want me or you don't. You're confusing." Hermione let her gaze stay on Draco, trying to figure out what he was feeling. "I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one morning and find you gone. Gone to be a Death Eater like your father. You still want to be like him, don't you, Draco?"

Draco started to tense up, but then calmed when he came up with an answer. "Not entirely. In a way, yes, I do. I do not believe in everything he preaches, but I cannot say that I don't agree with him on certain issues.

"My father says showing emotions is a weakness. On this I agree because by chance your enemy happens to see you crying, he can use that against you. He'll know your weaknesses soon enough, causing you to become nothing. You'll lose in the long run, leaving him the winner. You don't want to lose, do you? 'Losing is a weakness'."

"But you show your emotions, Draco-"

Draco shook his head, cutting of Hermione. "No. Only to you as does my father to my mother. At least I'm pretty sure he does."

Hermione sat there, thinking very hard. "So why are you scared, Draco?"

"Hermione, please, just don't mention that-"

"Why not? Why won't you tell me what you're so afraid of? Is it I? Are you afraid of telling me something, Draco? Are you afraid of _feeling_ something?"

Draco stared at her, thinking over what she had just said. "It doesn't matter."

"_Yes, it does, Draco! You need to tell me what you're so afraid of! I can't even begin to help you until you _tell_ me things…"_

"You want to know what I'm thinking, you stupid girl? I _don't_ want you to have that abortion. I _want to keep the goddamn child. I _want_ to live a happy life with a happy family but I __know that will never happen. The only people who like us to together are those little girls who only care about their appearances and all the guys in the world. They think it's 'so cute' that we ended up together. But it's not so cute, is it, Hermione? It's not so cute finding out your girlfriend is pregnant. It's not so cute seeing her kissing another guy, __right in front of you. And it's definitely not cute when you aren't able to tell her your true feelings. You can't because you're afraid of what may happen. Afraid that if you tell her you love her more than life itself…" He stopped at the last sentence, sighing. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the seat._

Hermione was shocked. She hadn't expected this kind of reply from him; something similar but not like this. "So then, you do love me?" she said, more of a statement than question.

Without opening his eyes, Draco spoke. "No. I never said that."

"Not exactly, but you still got the point across. What might happen, Draco, if you tell me your true feelings?"

At this, Draco opened his eyes and leaned forward, staring Hermione in the eyes. "I don't want to tell you because one day I might do something that will hurt you very deeply. I am not saying that I _will_ do something like that, but just take it as a precaution."

"I love you, Draco, I always will," she said. She saw Draco give her a small smile before he went back to leaning against the back of the seat, closing his eyes. "You really don't want me to get an abortion?"

Draco shook his head 'no', crossing his arms over his chest.

"Charlotte?"

Shooting his eyes open, Draco gave Hermione a very confused look. "Excuse me?"

Hermione smiled. "It if the baby is a girl, we could name her Charlotte."

"Who says the baby's going to be a girl?"

"Who says it isn't?"

"My father was an only child, he is male; I'm an only child, I am male; who says our child won't be male as well? It's always been like that in the Malfoy family."

Hermione sighed. "Whatever," she mumbled. 

"Remember that money I gave you? Can I have it back?" 

"I spent it," Hermione whispered, face becoming a light shade of pink. "I needed to buy you a Christmas gift."

"I think I have had my Christmas gift already, Hermione. You didn't need to buy me something else."

"I know, but I couldn't help it. Here, look, this it is," she said, taking a small piece of paper from her pocket. 

"This is what you got me? A piece of paper?" Draco's voice was mixed with humour and sarcasm. He saw her shake her head and smile, standing up and walking over to him. She handed him the small piece of paper and sat down on his lap.

"It's not _just_ a piece of paper, Draco. It's train ticket."

"Train ticket? For what?" he asked, studying the ticket.

"After Christmas day, you can come meet my parents. _We_ can tell them I'm pregnant. I originally thought that you could come to the clinic with me, but now that I won't need to go there, you can stay at my house until it's time to back to Hogwarts. What do you say?" Hermione waited for Draco to say something, but he just sat there, staring at the ticket. "Well?"

Draco snapped out of his trance and looked up to Hermione, and then to the ticket again. "Hm? Oh, of course. Not like anyone will care if I'm gone, you know? Father is too busy with his 'friends' and mother… Well mother is another story. Have you asked your parents about this?" He felt Hermione shift uncomfortably in his lab. "You haven't, have you?"

"Well, no, not entirely… I told them I'd be coming home and we'd be having a visitor… But I guess that could go both ways; the baby could be considered a visitor and so could you. It's okay, though, they'll understand." Hermione smiled at him and kissed his lips softly. "Have you told _your_ parents?"

"About the baby? Not yet," he said, placing his arm her waist. 

"No; about me. Do they know we're together? A mudblood and a pureblood?"

Draco thought about that for a moment. When Lucius had found out about Draco and Hermione, he had told Draco that Granger's intelligence and his brawn would produce quite an heir. Draco didn't know what to say to that; he wasn't even sure if his father was at all serious. He was brought away from his thoughts when he felt Hermione get off his lap.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," she said.

"Do what?" Draco looked over at her. She was once again sitting across from him.

"You go into those trances and who knows what's going on inside that brain of yours, Draco."

"Do you want to know?" Hermione nodded. "He said that we'd produce quite an heir."

"Who? Your father?"

Draco nodded. "Yes."

"But shouldn't he be angry at you for dating a 'mudblood'?" 

Draco shrugged, thinking the same as Hermione. "Let's not think about it."

For the rest of the ride to King's Cross, Hermione was with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. She felt bad about leaving Draco alone but it was only fair that she spent some time with her best friends before they left. 

At last the train stopped at the station, everyone getting off in a rather pushy way. Everyone loved the holidays, gifts and no school. Speaking of gifts, Hermione had given Harry, Ron, and Ginny theirs before leaving them. Ginny had received a beautiful necklace with a red rose charm on it; Harry and Ron had both received a book on various Quidditch teams. The three had pitched in to get Hermione a very big gift: a medium-sized basket with various chocolates and candies, and a few things for when the baby is born (pacifier, bottles, bibs, socks). Hermione thanked them, a little too much, and then waved good-bye, setting off to find her parents. 

Finding them wasn't the hard part, it was trying to explain why the basket had baby necessities in it that Hermione had a hard time doing. Hermione's mother had bombarded her with questions immediately, causing Hermione to turn a slight shade of pink and told her they'd "discuss it when they got home because they were attracting a crowd."

The ride home was very silent. The radio in the car wasn't even turned on like it usually was. Hermione had a feeling deep inside that this wasn't going to be a very good holiday.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hermione felt her stomach turn and thought she was going to be sick. "Mum, can you _please_ slow down before I vomit all over you!"

Mrs. Granger turned her head to Hermione quickly, and then back to the road. "I'm doing the speed limit, dear. Are you sure you're all right?"

Placing her head between her knees, Hermione started to count to ten. Maybe this will all go away if I count to ten… Oh, whom am I kidding? I'm not angered; I'm nauseated! "Mum, please! Pull over!"

Without hesitation, Mrs. Granger pulled the car over to the side of the rode, turning off the engine. "Since when have you become car sick, Hermione?"

"Ugh, mum! How can you be so _dense_? I'm pregnant!" Without waiting for a reply, Hermione opened the car door and vomited outside on the ground beneath her. 

"Oh, dear. I figured something was going on, what with that basket and all."

"Congratulations, mum! Two hundred points to Gryffindor!" Hermione snapped. She hadn't meant to be so rude towards her mother but sometimes she was just so _dense_… _Who does she remind you of? Ron._

"Well now, no need to be so angry. Who's the father of the baby? Is it one of your friends, Harry or Ron?"

At this, Hermione leant over to vomit again. "Mum! No way! That is gross; how can you think that?" Sitting up, she closed the car door, signalling that she was done with her sickness. She grabbed the box of tissues from the back seat and wiped off her mouth. "I have a boyfriend, mother. Don't you remember? His name is Draco Malfoy, and he's the father."

Mrs. Granger started up the car again, pulling away from the side of the road. "Yes, I remember him. Wasn't he the lad that was so awful to you and your friends? Calling you names and whatnot?"

Hermione sighed, leaning her arm against the door. "Don't remind me, mum. Please. Just focus on the road and we will discuss everything once we get home. I promise."

They had arrived at their home twenty minutes later. Hermione and her mum carried in all of the bags and the basket, setting them up in Hermione's room. Unsure of what to do, Hermione picked up a spare quill and a piece of parchment from her desk. She began writing:

Draco,

_My mum's already found out I'm pregnant due to my little sickness on our way home. I still want you to come, however, so please follow these directions carefully: Muggle trains are the same as wizard trains (if you haven't yet figured that out), so it should be easy for you to use this train. Show the conductor your ticket when he comes around and shortly after the train will stop. Get off at that stop and I'll be waiting at the station for you with my mum. She'll drive us home and then we'll have a nice, long talk. I'll see you in two days._

_Love from,_

Hermione Granger

After rereading the letter, Hermione realized that she had no owl to send it to Draco. Her luck couldn't get any better though, because Hedwig was tapping at her window with a letter tied to her foot. Sighing with relief, Hermione opened the window and let the owl in. She undid the letter from her leg and began to read:

Hermione,

_We've already made it to the Burrow and wanted to check up on you. How is everything going with your parents? We all wish you good luck. If you need someone to talk to, Ginny, Ron, and I will always be here. Owl us back as soon as you can._

**Harry Potter**

Hermione smiled; glad that her friends would think of her right when they got to the Burrow. She picked up her letter to Draco and tied it around Hedwig's foot. "Take this to Draco Malfoy," she said and noticed how Hedwig started to protest. "Please, please do this once. No one will hurt you, I promise." Hermione gave the owl a small treat before it took off, and started on her letter to Harry.

**Dear Harry,**

_Thank-you for the gift! I just absolutely love it. My mum found out me being pregnant because of the basket but that just made things easier, trust me. My dad's at work, so he doesn't know anything yet. I've asked Draco to come by in two days to meet my parents and explain to them our situation and all. Thank-you for being so concerned; it makes me happy to know that people care. Dinner's ready so I better stop writing. Thank-you all once again, and best wishes!_

_Love from,_

**Hermione Granger**

Folding the letter in half, Hermione placed it on her desk and went downstairs to eat her supper before he mother had a heart attack.

Draco Malfoy was alone in his room when he heard a slight tapping on the window. Knowing that it was most likely an owl, he got off his bed and walked to the window. He saw that it was a snow-white owl, _Potter's. What could he possibly want?_ When he opened the window, the owl practically flew right into him. Draco took the piece of parchment from the owl's leg and began to read the letter. _It's from Hermione; he thought when he saw the neat handwriting. He quickly wrote a response of the bottom of the parchment, stating that it was all right and he'd be there. He tied the letter to Potter's owl and off it went. _

The night had gone rather slow for Hermione. She received Draco's response and sent her letter to Harry, after giving Hedwig another small treat. Her dad had gotten home in the middle of dinner, complaining about how work is so hectic these days.

"Dad, you're a dentist. How _hectic can a dentist's life get?" Hermione took another bite of her spaghetti and noticed the silence that followed her short speech. Her mother was looking nervously from her father to her, which caused her say, "What?"_

"If only you could know, my dear daughter. Instead of being cooped up in that school of yours, why don't you become a dentist and try cleaning everyone's teeth because your workers have decided that they weren't going to work on Christmas Eve?" her father said, sitting down and taking a bite of his spaghetti.

"Excuse me, but I believe my life is more _hectic_ than a mere dentist's." With that, she stood up and scraped off the remainders on her plate and went upstairs to her room. She knew her father was becoming more and more stressed out lately, but she believed that it did not mean he should criticize her school.

Lying in bed, she thought of Draco and what he was doing. She couldn't wait until he came to her house to meet her parents. She hadn't yet told them he was coming, and planned on keeping it that way until morning came.

She had awoken the next morning quite early (6.00 A.M); tried falling back asleep but it didn't work. She lay there, once again thinking of what Draco was doing. _He's coming tomorrow, she told herself. Not being able to take lying in bed any, she walked quietly downstairs to see what kinds of presents her parents had gotten her this year. Much to her surprise, there were hardly only five gifts labelled 'To Hermione' under the tree. She didn't mean to sound greedy, but usually it was way more than this. _Maybe it's because I'm getting older…_ _

She sat on the couch, waiting for her parents to awaken. They usually got up early as well, but this morning it seemed as if Hermione was waiting forever for them. When they finally came downstairs, it was quarter after seven.

"Took you long enough," she mumbled. Her parents shrugged and Hermione began opening her gifts. The first was a jean jumper for the summer; the second a jewellery box full of necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Noticing a rather large box, she picked it up and tore off the wrapping paper. She gasped when she saw what it was: a brand new television for her room. All of her muggle friends had one, but she didn't. She had been asking for one since she was twelve. 

"Mum! You didn't have to do this," she said, placing the large box on the floor in order to hug her mother. "Thank-you."

"Your father helped," she told her daughter while hugging her in return.

Hermione nodded, pulling away. "Thanks, dad," she muttered while she opened her fourth gift. It was another jumper for the summer with a pair of knee-highs in the box as well. Her last and final gift was nothing big at all; in fact, it was just new school supplies (new quill, some parchment). 

Draco had awoken late on Christmas morning and found the manor completely empty. His parents had a habit of doing this; going out of town for a few days and then returning when they felt the need to. He found a small bunch of gifts in his room, including the newest and fastest broom yet to be sold. He felt bad, though, after opening his gifts: he hadn't gotten Hermione anything. But just as fast as the thought came into his mind, it vanished. _I have the perfect gift for her…_  


	8. L'anello e la proposta

**Disclaimer-**

Chapter 0.08 

Christmas day went very slow for Hermione, just like the previous night. She guessed that it had something to do with wanting to see Draco so bad. She hadn't yet enlightened her mother about Draco and the train station, and since she had nothing better to do, she decided to tell her right now.

"Mother! Can you come in my room for a minute?" she yelled, loud enough for both parents to hear (mum was in the kitchen, dad was in the living room).

Soon Hermione heard feet walking up the stairs and then her door opened. "Yes, dear?" her mother asked, apparently out of breath.

"Mum, I've asked Draco to come visit us tomorrow. We need to pick him up at the train station down the street. He'll be staying until it is time to go back to Hogwarts; is that all right with you and dad?" While talking, Hermione was playing with the edge of the dress she was wearing; same one she wore to the Christmas Ball. 

Her mother sighed, nodding her head. "I wish you would have told us earlier. This house is an absolute mess, you know. But I'm sure it's fine, Hermione. What time do we need to be there?"

Hermione grinned. "Twelve noon. Thank-you, mum."

Mrs. Granger nodded, smiled in return, and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Downstairs Hermione could hear a conversation going on between her parents, obviously about Draco visiting.

"She could've informed us earlier! You shouldn't let her get away with these kinds of things! Ever since sending her to that _school_ of hers, she's changed!" her father yelled.

"What does it matter to you? What's wrong with an extra person in this house? It gets lonely enough with the three of us! Oh, right, that's four now." Hermione and her mother hadn't yet told her father of her being pregnant, so she was sure he'd take it very badly.

"What do you mean, _four_? There's only three: you, me, and Hermione!"

"Use those brains of yours. Hermione is _pregnant_ love. So that makes _four_."

"Aha! See, that school is nothing but trouble for her! If she would've gone to a _normal_ school-" Mr. Granger was interrupted by his "sweet, innocent daughter" stomping down the stairs.

"Excuse me, _dad_, but my school is way better than a muggle school. I believe it has done me good, not bad. My school, also, has nothing to do with my getting pregnant. I had a choice to either have sex with Draco or not. _My_ choice. Not my school's, _mine_. And I followed my _heart_, and we made love. What is so wrong with my school and Draco? I love Draco, dad, and I think I deserve to be treated as an adult now, not a child."

This outburst shocked both Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The three, or four, of them were silent for a few minutes before Mr. Granger spoke again. 

"Yes, I know, and I'm sorry. Just shock; you know? Finding out your only daughter is pregnant at such a young age…" He sighed, shaking his head. 

"I know that, daddy. Draco is still going through shock himself. One thing you two will have in common. Maybe you will able to make a conversation out of it?" Hermione grinned, trying to lighten the mood. _Oh, don't me stupid. You know he hates muggles… I'm surprised he's even coming…_

Her father nodded, and then stood up. "Yes, perhaps we can. Now, off to bed with you! It's getting late," he said, hugging her. He was surprised with Hermione hugging him back; she hasn't done that lately.

"Good night, dad. Good night, mum," Hermione said, running back upstairs. 

Surprisingly, morning came quicker than Hermione expected. She awoke at exactly eleven a.m., giving her just enough time to shower, dress, and do her hair; she wanted to look nice for Draco. She picked out a black tank top and wore a white blouse over it, leaving the two top buttons undone. It was a bit revealing in the chest area, but Hermione thought Draco would like it. She put on a pair of tight, black jeans and wore a pair of her black house slippers. She was only going to the train station, so who cares what type of shoes you'll be wearing? Her hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail, and was straight thanks to a muggle technique called 'blow-drying'. She put on silver-white eye shadow and clear lip-gloss. By the time she was finished, it was quarter to twelve. Rushing downstairs, she grabbed a piece of toast her mother made and a quick drink of orange juice, to swallow down the vitamins she needed to take from Madam Pomfrey. She then ran outside and got into the car, where her mother was waiting.

"Sorry, mum. Didn't mean to take so long," Hermione apologized. In a matter of minutes they were out of the driveway and on their way to the train station.

Her mother smiled. "It's fine, dear. We have plenty of time." 

Draco was on the train to Hermione's town, trying his hardest not to curse those blasted muggles. They all looked at him funny, since he was wearing his dress robe. _Do they think _they're_ dressed normal? _At long last the train finally came to a stop and Draco stood up, only to receive more looks. _What the fuck are they looking at? Damn muggles…_ He walked to the back of the cart and got off the train. On instinct, he looked around the station for a sign of Hermione. _Damn,_ he couldn't find her anywhere. So he did the next thing that came to mind: sitting on the bloody chairs to wait for his precious mudblood and her mother. _Don't know _why_ she has to bring her blasted muggle mother… _

Hermione got out of her mum's car, telling her that she'd be back in a few minutes. She wanted to go alone, in case her mother just happened to make a scene. Hermione walked inside the station and immediately spotted Draco, who was sitting with his head back on a chair. She smiled to herself, and walked over to him.

"Are you ready?" she asked. 

Draco shot open his eyes, seeing Hermione standing in front of him. He sighed, standing up. "Yeah," he said quietly, rubbing his eyes.

"I've missed you, Draco," Hermione said as she hugged him. 

"You look nice today," he commented, patting her back. 

"Come on, then, don't want to keep mum waiting," she said, pulling away from Draco. She led him out of the station and towards her mother's car. She sat in the back with him, much to her mother's disappointment.

"So you must be Draco," her mother started. "Hermione has told me a lot about you. She told of how you-"

"Mum!" Hermione interrupted. "Focus on the road, not on what I said!"

"No, wait," Draco said. "How I what? I'm curious." Hermione could see out of the corner of her eyes that he was smirking.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Hermione sighed, resting her head on Draco's shoulder. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him. _He smells so good…_

Hermione must have fallen asleep on the way home, because before she knew it gentle hands were shaking her awake. She fluttered her eyes open, looking at her surroundings.

"About damn time," a voice said. Hermione sat up, and finally realized where she was.

"How'd I end up in here?" she asked, rubbing her neck.

"This _is_ your room, is it not? You fell asleep in the car. Must've been out a good two hours. Left me alone to 'chat' with you dear father…"

Hermione giggled. "What did you talk about?"

Draco looked at her, watching her giggle and smile at him. He then got up from where he was sitting and pushed her back on the bed so that she was lying down again. He crawled a bit over her, pressing his lips on hers. Draco ran his left hand all over her body while his right hand played with her hair. Hermione kissed him back, feeling his tongue in her mouth. Just as the kiss was deepening, a knock was heard at the door.

"Hermione, dear, you have some visitors waiting downstairs," Mrs. Granger called through the shut door. When her mum was away from her room, Hermione broke away from Draco.

"Visitors…" Hermione sighed as Draco got off of her and stood up. She saw a look on Draco's face that meant he was pissed off. "I didn't invite anyone over besides you. I don't know who it could be…"

"_Think_ for a moment. Doesn't take a genius to figure this out, you know," Draco spat.

"I'm _sorry_." Hermione stood up, straightening out her outfit and hair. "Are you going to come downstairs with me or are you going to stay up here and continue hating me because people felt the need to visit me?" She walked to the door and opened it, not waiting for Draco's reply. As she was making her way down the steps she heard Draco call out to her.

"Granger, wait up," he said while walking down the stairs. He met up with her and two continued walking down. Hermione could see from where she was standing a redheaded boy, accompanied by a brown-haired boy. Sighing, she made her way towards the living where here 'visitors' were waiting.

"Hello Harry, Ron. What brings thee here?" she asked, taking a seat on the empty couch across from them. Draco sat next to her, though not at all close.

"Just seeing how you are doing," Ron said, all the while glaring at Draco, who just smirked. 

"Worried I might do something to her, Weasely?" Draco spat.

Hermione sighed. "Ron, Harry… I _told_ you that Draco would be here today. I don't understand why you feel the need to start trouble. And why exactly don't you trust him? Do you think he'd hurt me, Ron?"

Before Ron could answer, Harry did. "It's not that we don't… _trust_ him, 'Mione. We didn't come here to start trouble, either. We were just wanting to visit you."

"'Mione, it's not like I think he'd hurt you, but you never know with him! He could kill you all and get away with it!"

"RON!" Both Hermione and Harry yelled; Draco sat on the couch, trying not to look interested in their conversation.  

"He has a point, though," Draco mentioned, attracting the attention of the 'Gryffindor Trio'. "I _could_… and very much get away with it."

Hermione's face went absolutely pale. "See, Hermione!" Ron squeaked. 

"But you wouldn't…" Hermione was looking Draco dead in the eyes; face still pale. She watched Draco shrug, smirk, and then shake his head 'no', only visible to Hermione. She let out a sigh of relief, and then turned back to Harry and Ron. "I don't appreciate this, you know. You never mentioned anything before."

"We didn't want to hurt you," Harry said.

"Harry, you wouldn't have hurt me. I don't care what you all think of my relationship with Draco. But to come here and start like this! I don't appreciate it very much. You could've at least said something at school or on the train. _Not_ at my house." Hermione then stood. "Now if you'll excuse us, we were in the middle of something before _very rudely interrupted_." She smirked as Harry and Ron stood up and left, but it dropped when Ron whispered into her ear,

"Nice ring you got there, by the way. Going to marry a _death eater_, are you?"

Hermione looked down at her hand, seeing a silver ring on her left ring finger. She brought her hand up to be more visible. Noticing it had a green diamonds on it, she turned to Draco. "Where'd this come from?"

Draco looked up to her, a grin creeping upon his face. "Oh, that. A gift," he shrugged. 

Hearing the front door close, Hermione practically threw herself on Draco. "Why did you get me this, Draco? It's too nice. I don't deserve it, you know," she said while hugging him as tight as she could.

"Yes, you do," he whispered into her ear. 

She then realized something. Looking down at her hand, her smile dropped. "But why is it on… _this_ finger?" she asked, holding her hand up to Draco's eyes.

Draco then smirked and whispered into her ear. "What a daft question you ask, Miss Granger. I thought you would have figured it out."

Hermione stared at him for a few moments before looking back down at her hand. "But… You can't be serious."

"What if I am?"

Hermione looked back up at him. "It's just…"

"Granger, listen: _will_ you be my wife?"

**A/N-** Yay! It's a CLIFFHANGER! Muahuahua. _; Gomen ne. Any suggestions, once again, please tell! I love them. If you would like to be update through e-mail when I send a new chapter in, just say so in your response.


	9. Lotta ed amore

**Disclaimer-** Nopis, not mine.

**Author's Notes- **Sorry for the long delay in posting this. I'm not supposed to be on my computer… but I am _so_ bored just sitting here. Yeah. I'm not the one for lemons but it gets kind of boring, you know? I've had some practice (role-playing, movies, personal experience _) but that doesn't mean I'm an expert… Eh, yeah, so… erm, there is just a bit of that in here. Review, please! =P 

Chapter 0.09 

"Harry! I can't believe you aren't upset about this," Ron yelled, while in a muggle taxi on their way back to the Burrow.

"I never said I wasn't upset about it, Ron. I'm sure Hermione was going to tell us one day," Harry replied. "_Plus_, this her life and privacy. I think she has the right to keeps things private just as you and I do."

Ron sighed, looking out the window at the scenery. "But how can she marry _him? _Of all people! I can see it in the Daily Prophet now, 'Hermione Granger, top student at Hogwarts- knocked up by and marrying future Death Eater, Draco Malfoy'!"

Now it was Harry's turn to sigh. "I don't think they'll say _that_."

"No, but something very similar!"

"Think about everything for a minute, Ron. It took Hermione and Malfoy a year to publicise their relationship. Even then they were afraid of Lucius finding out. Do you think for even a split second that they'd tell every soul of their engagement?"

Ron did as he was told and thought of what Harry was saying. "I guess you're right, Harry, but still-"

"Don't you want Hermione to be happy?"

"Yes, but-"

"_If_ you want her to be happy, then leave alone her private life. Let her marry Malfoy; let her have his child if that's what it'll take to make her truly happy. Do you not agree?"

"Harry, I agree, really, I do. But it's just… When I mentioned the ring to her, she looked shocked, like she didn't know what I was talking about."

Harry looked over to Ron, bewilderment on his face. "She did?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Maybe… maybe they aren't getting married. Maybe it was just a gift, then?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "We'll find out soon, though, don't worry."

Hermione, still dazed, shook her head. "No. I mean, yes, but… No, I can't be your wife, Draco. It just wouldn't work out… a mudblood marrying a pureblood? And what if your father wants you to become a Death Eater? You'll be such a hypocrite: you hate mudbloods and want them dead, yet you marry one and have a child with her…" She slipped off her ring and put it in Draco's hands. "I'm sorry, Draco…"

Draco looked down into his palm, seeing the ring he bought for Hermione. He felt something get off his lap and looked up, seeing Hermione walking up the stairs. _To her room…_ Draco stood up as well, clutching the ring in his fist. He walked up the stairs and was faced with a hall of doors. _First on the left,_ he remembered Mrs. Granger telling him when they came home from the train station earlier that day. Draco walked over to the first door on the left side of the hall and knocked. The door opened slowly, and he saw a tear-faced Hermione looking up at him.

The two stared at each other for what felt like hours until Draco pulled Hermione into a tight embrace. Hermione kept her arms at her sides, letting Draco hold her rather than she hold him.

Draco was asleep in Hermione's bed when he was awoken by a loud 'thump'. He sat up sharply, feeling around for Hermione. _She isn't here_… He turned his attention to a small box that said it was two o'clock A.M. Standing up, he grabbed his wand and muttered 'lumos' in order to see where he was going and to look for Hermione. He looked around the room, but couldn't find her anywhere. Draco walked out of the bedroom, making his way towards the bathroom. _Where's the bathroom?_

It took him a minute to find the correct door, but when he walked into the bathroom he saw Hermione in the shower, _washing her hair_… He shut the door behind him quietly and put away his wand. He searched the bathroom for something that may have been the source of the noise but found nothing. He then thought of something and slipped of his shirt and pants, as well as everything underneath. He stepped into the shower behind Hermione, wrapping his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. He felt her jump and quickly spun her around so she was facing him. Before she could react, he attacked her lips with his own. He ran a hand through her still-soapy hair, feeling the foam from the bubbles engulf his fingers; his other hand lay on her waist, softly caressing her skin. 

Hermione broke the kissing, grinning as she looked up at him. "Miss me?" she teased.

Draco smirked, pushing her under the water more so he could get out the soap that was still in her hair. "Perhaps I did," he whispered, whilst running his hands through her hair, relieving it of the soap. He then ran his fingers across her forehead and cheeks, and then brought them down to her chest, caressing the soft skin of her breasts. 

Hermione kept her gaze on Draco; she noticed how the water had made his hair part and fall down around his face and neck. His hair was longer than had been in their first few years of Hogwarts: now it reached his shoulders and was held back no longer by that gel he used. "You are so beautiful," she whispered.

Draco began kissing her neck, whilst keeping his hands busy on her body. He made his way up to her ear, licking it softly with his tongue. He felt her arms wrap around his neck; a moan escaping from her lips. He then lay her down in the tub, holding himself over her. He began kissing her lips softly, the water hitting his back hard. 

"Draco," Hermione breathed, pulling her face away from his. "We can't- my parents might come in on us…"

Draco smirked. "Door's locked. If they didn't wake up from that loud noise, then I do not think they will wake up to the sound of the shower."

"'That loud noise' was I." 

"Was it, now? What happened?"

"Just lost my balance, 'tis all." 

Draco grinned, claiming her lips again. His tongue slid across her lips before going into her mouth, exploring every crevice he could. Hermione wrapped her legs around him as he positioned himself onto her, letting out small moans as he kissed her and played with her breast.  Draco slowly entered her, letting her grip his arms when it hurt. He kissed her passionately on her neck, all the while thrusting in and out of her. Both reached their climax at about the same time, breathing heavily and holding each other. 

Hermione shut her eyes, cuddling up to Draco. She was about to fall asleep when something, or someone, pinched her bum. She shot her eyes open, only to see a grinning Draco.

"You can't fall asleep in the shower," he whispered. "Come on, I'll take you back to you back to your room."

Hermione smiled, nodding. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said while picking her up. He turned off the water faucet and took a towel from the rack on his right. He wrapped a towel around himself and then one around Hermione before carrying her back to the bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, he noticed Hermione had fallen asleep in his arms. He gently laid on her on her bed, and then walked out of the room again to get their clothes that they had left behind. Draco picked up their clothes, carrying them back to Hermione's bedroom. He shut and locked the door, dropping the clothes on the floor. He walked back over to the bed, taking the towel that was around him and also threw it on the floor. He got in the bed, lying next to the damp Hermione. He smirked, took the towel that was wrapped around her, and started drying her off softly. She stirred, and then fluttered her eyes open once again.

"Thank-you," she said softly. Rolling onto her side, she smiled up at Draco. 

Draco put the towel aside and pulled the blankets over himself and Hermione; he pulled Hermione close to him, kissing her lips softly. "Good night," he whispered.

Hermione awoke the next morning to find Draco sitting up, reading what looked like a letter. She noticed an owl sitting by the window, so she figured it was from Lucius or Narcissa. She sat up, wrapping her arms around Draco. She took a peek at the letter, and then rested her chin on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Draco sighed, holding the parchment up to Hermione. "Read it," he said impassively. 

"All right," she said softly, taking the parchment from his hands. She lay back down on the bed, holding the letter in front of her. 

**Draco,**

_I see you have decided to leave without telling either of us of your whereabouts. If you're with that Granger girl, shame on you. I do not understand why you chose a mudblood rather a pureblood but whatever your decision… it is your life. If you choose to screw it up, then so be it. Ah, speaking of our little mudblood: I've caught word that she is expecting a child. No doubt it is yours. How I pity you, Draco. Fathering a mudblood child. No, I take that back. I do not pity you. I laugh at you and your stupidity. Anyhow, there is a Death Eater meeting I wish you to attend since you _are_ going to become one, am I correct? We will be discussing Granger's fate after she gives birth to the child. As I have once told you, a child created between the two of you will be of very good use to the Lord. So I expect to see you there. If I do not… well, let me say that you'll be sorry._

**Lucius Malfoy**

Hermione stared at the parchment before crumbling it up. "Are you going to let them kill me once the baby is born?" She asked, voice void of any emotion.

"If I try to stop them, they'll kill me and _then_ you. It'd be a waste of time," Draco sighed. He heard Hermione gasp; he realized what he had just said. He turned around to face her. "I didn't mean it like that, Hermione…"

"Then how did you mean it?" Hermione asked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes at any moment. Her arms were folded across her chest, her legs Indian-style. 

"I meant… If I were to try and stop them from whatever they are doing at this Death Eater meeting, they'd kill me. If I'm dead, who's going to protect you?"

Hermione sighed. "Guess you're right," she whispered. "What are you going to do, Draco?"

Now Draco sighed, putting his elbows on his legs, his head resting in the palms of his hands. "I don't know. I need to think of something. I can tell them not to kill you… that I need you for my own personal pleasures."

Hermione smiled, crawling over to where Draco sat. "Yes; I cannot die if you have not yet experienced that fantasy of mine," she teased, kissing behind Draco's ear.

Draco smirked; he pulled Hermione around so that she was sitting on his lap. "You're absolutely correct, Miss Granger."

Just as the couple was about to kiss, a faint gasp was heard. Hermione turned her heading, only to see her mother standing at the door with her hand over her mouth. Draco smirked; Hermione giggled.

"Mum! Respect your daughter's privacy," Hermione said, teasingly. 

"I'm so sorry dear, I didn't think…" Mrs. Granger's cheeks became red. "Eh, continue, continue, I'll come back later." With that last sentence, Hermione's mum left the room, closing the door behind her.

"She comes in every morning to check on me," Hermione told Draco. "I don't know why she does, but I'm sorry."

"For?" Draco asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"The interruption," she replied and began kissing Draco on the lips.

Later that evening, before dinner, Hermione's mum came into her room to talk to her. Draco had gone to the Manor to see Lucius and also go to the Death Eater meeting, so all was clear.

"Dear, there's something I wanted to discuss with you," Mrs. Granger said, sitting on Hermione's bed. 

"Hm? Yeah, I'm listening," Hermione replied whilst reading GLAMOUR magazine.

"Hermione…" Her mum took the magazine from her hands and placed in on the shelf. "This is important."

"I _said_ I was listening, mum, damn. Didn't have to take the bloody magazine from me."

"Mind your mouth."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and then sighed. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

"Well… don't take this the wrong way or anything, but your boyfriend-"

"Draco?" Hermione asked, now suddenly interested in what her mother had to say about him.

"Yes; Draco. Hermione, dear, I don't think he should stay here any longer."

"And why not? What is so wrong with Draco? I love him; why can I not be with the one I love? You are with dad, why can't I be with Draco?" Hermione now folded her arms over her chest, staring at her mother.

"It isn't about love, Hermione. He just… he doesn't seem like he's a safe one to be around. He sends off a negative vibe, you know what I am saying?" 

_I wonder why. He's going to be a Death Eater… _"No, mum, I'm sorry but I don't."

Mrs. Granger sighed, crossing her legs. "He gives me the chills, Hermione. Your father even thinks funny of him. Draco looks like he's got no soul; his face looks so impassive. We just think that maybe you should send him home-"

"_Mum!_ I cannot believe you and dad are acting like this! Draco _does_ have feelings, you know. Last night he made love to me-" 

"So that's what was going on! I heard the shower turn on; I knew it wasn't like you to wake up at two in the morning to take a shower!"

Hermione lay back on her bed, her head resting on the pillow Draco used. She inhaled the scent of him that was left on it and sighed. "Mum," she started. "There are things you mustn't know yet. How I wish to tell you, but I cannot. It's too complicated to explain why I can't, but I promise you one day you shall know. About Draco… He's staying here whether you and dad like it or not. I don't want to be away from him, mum. He acts so differently in school… When we're alone it's totally different. Do you understand?"

Mrs. Granger stared at her daughter for a few moments before replying. "He can't stay, Hermione."

"Mum! Why are you being so difficult! If you won't let him stay, then I'll go to _his_ house."

The colour from Hermione's mum's face disappeared completely. "You can't go there."

"And why can't I?"

"Because you can't! I say so! I am your mother and you will abide by my rules!"

Hermione inhaled the scent of Draco once again. Her eyes became watery; already she was missing him. "Not if I don't live with you."

"And where exactly do you think you will live; Draco's house? It's bad enough the git got you pregnant. Soon he's going to ask you to marry him!"

"He already has!" Hermione yelled, sitting up to face her mother. "He has asked me to marry him already. At first I said no, but now that I know it'll piss you off, I'll tell him yes when he comes home!"

"Ah, I see. Where is he now, Hermione?" Her mother asked, voice full of suspicion. 

"He's… he's with his father. He had to, uh, go to a meeting with him." _I can't tell her the truth; she'll totally flip and never ever let me see him. She'll pull me out of Hogwarts, period! _Hermione thought to herself.

Mrs. Granger nodded, obviously not buying Hermione's excuse, but stood up anyway. "All right then, if that's what you wish to think. I've met men like him, Hermione, and they aren't who they appear to be. I'm just looking out for you, dear, remember that." With that, her mother left her room.

"Ahh!" Hermione screamed into her pillow.

Draco had taken a train back to Malfoy Manor, this time a wizard's train. He was so very thankful there was no muggles giving him dirty looks. If he saw another one he'd kill them on the spot. Even Hermione's parents seem very uninterested in him. He shrugged it off, knowing that they'd get what they asked for sooner or later. No, _he_ wouldn't kill them. But somebody else would, definitely.

Sighing, Draco stepped inside Malfoy Manor as quietly as possible, to ward off any unwanted attention. Lady Luck wasn't with him today, however: his father appeared behind him, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Draco, how _nice_ to see you," Lucius smirked, turning him son around to face him. 

"Likewise, father." Draco left his gaze on his father, trying to ignore his mother who was walking down the hallway to greet him. She looked a little too happy to see him… _Drunk, most likely_.

"Come, we need to discuss many issues." Lucius and Draco apparated to a private room before Narcissa got the chance to smother Draco wish her kisses and hugs. Draco sat across from his father, hands behind his neck. 

"Now," Lucius started, crossing one leg over the other. "I know you got my owl. So you know what is going to happen at this evening's Death Eater meeting, am I correct?"

Draco nodded, keeping silent.

"Good. It would be best if you not go back to the mudblood's house. You're attracting a great deal of unwanted attention from our Lord. He suspects you are not loyal to him. Is this true, Draco?" Lucius asked.

"No, sir."

Lucius smirked. "Shall we leave for the meeting?" he asked, standing up. Draco stood up as well, straightening out his robes a bit. The two then apparated to the meeting place, a clearing in the middle of what looked like a forest but was not the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione had given up on begging her mother to allow Draco to stay at their house. During dinner she mentioned the topic once, but her mother simply said that if she were to say another word she could just as well say good-bye to Hogwarts.

"But mum! You can't bring me out of school!" Hermione had yelled.

"I won't be pulling you out. You'll go to a muggle school. Away from that Draco and his evil family." 

Hermione sighed, resting her head on her pillow. What should she do now? Perhaps she could write a letter to Harry and Ron, to pass time; or possibly her journal. She took out her journal and a pen and started writing:

**26 December -**

_Ron and Harry visited yesterday while Draco was here. I know they were just being protective and all but it made me angry. Ron kept saying rude things and I blamed him for coming over to just start trouble. I kicked them out after five minutes. I wasn't in the mood to listen to any of their shit. They had no problem with Draco before- why all the sudden now? I don't understand them sometimes! It's not like they've lost me; I always write them letters and hang out with them during school. So I spend a little time with Draco; who cares? Ugh. Mum won't let Draco stay any longer because she gets a 'bad vibe' from him. I can't blame her, though. He _was_ brought up in a home where they worship Voldemort. Speaking of Draco. He asked me to be his wife, but being the stupid girl I am I turned him down. It's not like I don't want to be married to him. I just cannot see myself, a muggle-born, marrying a Death Eater. They (death eaters) kill muggles and people like myself. It would just be very hypocritical. So now Draco is at a Death Eater meeting… I wonder what they are going to plan for me after I give birth this child? But if I don't give birth to this child… say, I get an abortion… what would happen then? Maybe they'll let me go… Yeah, right. Voldemort letting a 'mudblood' get away alive after she killed his heir. It's so confusing: why would Draco and I make such a strong heir? I know that we are both rather intelligent and are strong in magic, but the child won't be pureblood so why would they want it? I'm starting to think that maybe all ours problems are caused by this baby: I tell Draco I'm pregnant and he gets pissed off and shocked; he doesn't speak to me very kind words; he started acting differently towards me now that I am pregnant. Perhaps I shall just get an abortion. Muggle kind seems better to me; though I know spells to perform an abortion, I don't think I want to do it like that. It seems odd to hold a wand to her stomach and mutter some incantation to kill whatever it is that's growing inside there. Should I tell Draco how I feel? Maybe I should just go tomorrow and get this all done with. Easier said than done, though, right? I need money. I still have some left over money from Draco, but I don't think that's enough. Perhaps mum will lend me some? Though I'd have to lie to her because I don't think she'd want me to get this done. But then again it _is_ my life and I'll do what I please, thank-you. Great. Someone just sent me an owl! Wonder who…_

**-Hermione**

Hermione took the parchment from the owl's leg and gave him a treat. She opened the letter and read:

**Hermione,**

_We need to meet. The meeting didn't go as well as I thought it might have gone… I want to speak with you about everything we discussed tonight. Meet me in the Leaky Cauldron around nine o'clock P.M.; be prepared for the worst._

**Draco Malfoy**

Hermione sighed, folding the letter in half. "This is just wonderful," she said aloud to herself. "How am I going to get to the Leaky Cauldron?" She stood up and walked downstairs. She figured that if she told her mother that she were meeting Harry and Ron in Diagon Alley… then maybe she'd take her.

"Mother?" Hermione asked, sweetness in her voice. 

Out of nowhere came Mrs. Granger, a smile spread upon her face. "Yes?"

"Take me to the Diagon Alley. I'm meeting up with Ron and Harry." She demanded rather than asked her mother to do this, but not on purpose. _Damn mood swings_, she thought to herself.

"This late at night? It's eight-thirty, Hermione! What can you three possibly do at this time?"

Hermione sighed, opening the closet door to get her jacket. "Doesn't matter. Can you just take me? Please, mum? It's very important," she pleaded, pulling on her jacket.

Mrs. Granger's smile dropped a bit, but she nodded. "Yes, yes, all right. Come, let's go."

Surprised that her mother gave in that easy, Hermione smiled. "Thanks, mum." The daughter and mother walked out of the house, but not before telling Mr. Granger where they were going, and got into the small car the family owned. _Expect the worst_, Hermione ran through her head. _What could be so bad? They decided to kill me after the child is born. No big surprise there, well, except the child won't be born or even alive._ Hermione ran all the possible ideas of what they have decided of her fate over and over again in heard, trying to be ready for whatever Draco tells her. Before she knew it, however, they had arrived and the car engine was off. "Mum, you don't have to wait. I'll be long."

"Nonsense. I'll come in with you-"

"No! I mean, mum, please. Can I just spend time with my friends _without_ a chaperone?" Hermione opened the door and got out. She was about to shut it when her mother replied,

"Fine, Hermione. I'll wait in the car. Be careful on your way there."

Hermione sighed, bending down to look at her mother. "You don't have to stay here. Go home; I'll be a few hours. I'll call you with one of the payphones. I'll be fine."

Mrs. Granger nodded, starting up the car. Hermione shut the door and started to walk down to the Leaky Cauldron. _There aren't a lot of people around,_ Hermione noticed. _Maybe a lot of them are Death Eaters under cover and they're discussing whatever Voldemort had told them with their friends… _She sighed, finally making her way inside the Leaky Cauldron. She looked around, trying to find Draco. _Figures, I'm probably a few minutes early_, she thought before a tap was felt on her shoulder. She spun around, hoping that it was Draco.

"Looking for someone?" a familiar blond asked. 

Hermione nodded, smiling that it was Draco and not someone else. "I was, but he seems to have showed up."

Draco led her to a small table in the far back and the two sat down. "I didn't think you'd come, really."

"Why not?" 

"Your mother. She seems to not like me. No worries, though. It's all fine and dandy with me," he said, with a slight hint of humour in his voice.

"What did you all discuss?" she asked, no emotion showing. 

"Can you handle it?" he said, smirking.

"Yes, now tell me before I leave." 

"All right, no need to get all pissy with me. Voldemort's really convinced that this child is some super wizard. He wants to use it to help kill off muggles and mudbloods," he started. "Supposedly since we are strong and smart, the baby will be."

"Well? Come one, continue! I don't have all night to sit here and do nothing!" For some reason, Hermione was becoming very annoyed and was about to snap again if Draco didn't start speaking.

Draco sighed in frustration. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

Hermione kicked him from under the table. "Nothing, damn it. Just please _continue!_"

"Fine. Father suggested I kill you after the child is born. Said it should be something like an initiation for becoming a Death Eater. I then spoke up and said that I could use you for certain _things_ rather than killing you right away."

"And?"__

"_And…_ Lucius said that I could have you for a year after the child is born. Afterwards I have to kill you. I still get to become a Death Eater either way."

Hermione glared at him. "So you're using me to have sex and then you're going to kill me when you're done?"

"To them, yes. But you have to understand that it's the only way to save you. In a year Lucius could be dead; Voldemort defeated."

Hermione nodded. "It's kind of like a… scheme?"

"Exactly." 

"They'd have to be pretty dense to believe it."

"I think Lucius knows how I truly feel about you… but other than him, everyone else thinks I'm just using you for sex."

"But if Lucius knows how you 'truly feel', then why would he go along with your little scheme?"

"I'm pretty sure he thinks I'd rather be a Death Eater and kill you than be with a 'mudblood' all my life. But that just tells you how much he doesn't know about his own son."

Hermione let out a small grin, but no emotion was held in it. Her eyes had a glaze over them but it wasn't because she was about to cry. "I hope this works, Draco."

"Lucius won't let me back to your house. He says it's attracting 'unwanted attention'."

"Don't worry. Mum gets 'bad vibes' from you."

_So the muggle _doesn't_ like me… _"Doesn't like me, I see."

"Forget about her. Is that all you discussed at your little meeting?"

"All that concerns you."

Hermione glared at him again. "You don't need to be such an ass, you know."

"_You_ don't have to be such a bitch."

"I am _not_ being a bitch!"

"You're just flipping out on me for no reason whatsoever, then?" 

_He has a point…_ "I just feel annoyed. What's your excuse?"

"Let's stay here the night."

"That's not an excuse, Draco. And why would I want to stay here?"

"No shit it's not an excuse. You think I'm stupid?"

"Sometimes, yes, I do."

"Whatever," he sighed, again in frustration. "Are you staying with me or not?"

"I am, only because I do not wish to hear my mother lecturing me about us having sex in the shower."

Draco smirked. "So she knows?"

"Yes, she knows." Hermione then yawned, looking around at all the people. Her chin was resting on her palm, elbow on the table. She was in deep thought, mainly about the baby and what she was going to do about it. Get the abortion? Tell Draco that that's what she wants? Was it even a smart choice to make? Then her mind went on to rather unpleasant thoughts: Voldemort and the Death Eaters. What were they really going to do? _Maybe they tricked Draco and are really going to kill me after I give birth?_

"Hermione?"

_Maybe this is all a plan to get Harry… Once they have me, they'll have our child, it'll grow and become strong and will be lured to the dark side… and Voldemort will use him or her to get Harry… and then use the poor child to defeat the good side. _

"Fine. I didn't mean to be such an 'asshole'."

_What if Draco is using me? What if _this_ is all a plot? Make me come to love him and then he'll get me pregnant and they'll use the child and kill me… _Hermione started to sweat, and become uneasy and paranoid. _I can't believe I'm so gullible… _

Draco sighed. "Hermione!"

Hermione snapped out of her daze, blinking a few times. "Huh?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Then she remembered her thoughts. _I can't tell him… _"Nothing."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? Then why wouldn't you answer me?"

"I didn't hear you."

"I was speaking way above a whisper, dear. You either were ignoring me or thinking of something so important that you blocked out my voice."

Hermione glared at him. "You can't always go around thinking you are the most important being in this world. I was thinking some things over, so what. Just because my attention wasn't on you-"

"Touchy, touchy. Someone's grumpy this evening. Come, let's go." Draco stood up, offering a hand to Hermione. She took it, standing up as well. 

After paying for a night in one of the rooms, Hermione and Draco walked up a flight of stairs; key in the hands of Draco. He unlocked the door, and the couple walked in.

"Well this is lovely," Draco said sarcastically. 

Hermione shut the door behind her and turned to face Draco. "You wanted to stay here, not me." 

"I wasn't complaining, Miss sudden-mood-change."

"I've had enough! You've been acting like _such_ a jerk ever since I told you I was pregnant! Ever since then, everything has gone downhill for us. After days and nights of thinking, I have come to the conclusion that… Maybe I _will _get an abortion." Hermione threw herself onto the bed, sighing.

"You can't be serious? You want to kill the child? Voldemort will kill you for getting rid of his 'heir', Hermione. Don't be so dense."

"I know. I've thought of that as well. I've also began to ponder that perhaps you are not who you say you are to be. How do I know if you are being truthful to me? This could be a plot, you know: get the mudblood girl to fall in love with you, get her pregnant, steal her baby, then kill her. Sounds perfectly believable to me, Draco." She kept her eyes plastered on the wall before her. She knew that if she were to take one glance at him she'd break town in tears.

"Do you honestly think that? You think this is some scheme, Hermione? What have I risked in the past three years? My reputation, getting punished by my father and Voldemort for dating you, trying to become at least a bit civil to Potter and Weasely for you though we know that has obviously failed. And yet you think this is all an evil plot of some sort? I'm sure I wouldn't get punished if this were some 'plot'. I'm sure my reputation wouldn't change if this were some 'plot'. If you think that that is what is going on, then fine. You don't have to be my girlfriend. You can get the abortion. Just don't come crawling back to be when Death Eaters are encircling you, threatening to kill you." With that, Draco threw himself onto the bed, lying next to Hermione. Though he was enraged in what she had been thinking earlier, he couldn't help but lay next to her. Don't ask him; he didn't know why.

Hermione turned on her side, facing away from him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just had to let you know how I felt. You never told me you loved me. It starts to add up, you know. Why would a pureblood love a mudblood? Doesn't make sense, does it?"

They sat in silence for what felt like hours when they heard an owl tapping at the window. Draco sighed, standing up to let the owl in. "Damn owls," he muttered. He let it in, and noticed the owl was _Potter's_. "Looks like it's for you, dear."

Hermione just lay on the bed, pretending not to hear Draco and the owl. She didn't feel like getting up or facing Draco.

"Fine. I'll read it aloud for you if you wish to ignore me." So he unattached the parchment from the owl's leg and read aloud:

**Hermione,**

_We sent an owl to you earlier but your mum replied, saying you were out with us and questioned why we were owwling you. Obviously something's up? We're all worried now, Hermione. If it's Malfoy, we'll come and get you. _

**Harry/Ron**

"Aw, how cute," Draco smirked. "Your knights in shining armour. Want me to reply and tell them you're safe?"

Silence followed once again. 

"I take that as a 'yes'?" Draco grabbed a quill that was randomly lying on a small desk in the corner and replied:

S_he's fine, you twits. Tell the muggles she's with me and everything's absolutely wondrous._

**-Draco Malfoy**

 Draco tied the letter to the owl's foot and once again it was off into the night sky. He walked back over to the bed and sat down, running his fingers softly through Hermione's hair. "You really think this baby is screwing everything up?"

Hermione nodded faintly, but Draco saw and also nodded but to himself. "Maybe it's here to straighten us out. Get us responsible," she whispered.

"Do you still wish for that abortion?"

"I need to sleep on it. But Draco?" she turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"Let's not have any more of these silly arguments."

"If there were no silly arguments," he smirked, "there would be no making up." He bent down slightly, allowing their lips to touch. 

**Another A/N-** 6,000 words! I believe you all deserve it, though, for the lapse in getting out these chapters. Like I've stated before, I'm not allowed on my computer and although my mum and dad don't seem to mind anymore (dunno why), my sister (who is also grounded) thinks that she can go on as well, therefore causing me to not have very much time alone to write this chapter. I'm not in as much trouble as she is, so in order to get back at her for thinking she can do whatever I'm going to have to stay off until my report card comes in. Which shall be soon! So don't expect a chapter for about a week or so, all right? This should hold you all on until then, I hope. And once again, any suggestions! Please tell me. =D


	10. Segreti, Bugie e Verità

**Disclaimer-**

**Author's Notes-** Again, sorry for the long delay in getting out this chapter. I haven't gotten as many reviews as I usually do… what's happening? o.O Is the story starting to get bad? Don't worry; I think it should get better starting with this chapter. Maybe not exactly better as in happier, but you know what I mean, ne? Brittany has helped me with new things to do with the story, so ya'll can thank her =D As for questions about Hermione getting the abortion and if Draco or Hermione will die and if they'll stay together… You'll see ^.- As for the chapter titles, here are the meanings:

**Chapter 0.01 – Surprise (Sorpresa)**

**Chapter 0.02 – Fight (Lotta)**

**Chapter 0.03 – Sexual Desires (Desideri Sessuali) **

**Chapter 0.04 – Being Pleasant (Essendo Piacevole)**

**Chapter 0.05 – Jealousy and Lies (Gelosia e Bugie)**

**Chapter 0.06 – Scared (Spaventato)**

**Chapter 0.07 – Gifts and Surprises (Regali e Sorprese)**

**Chapter 0.08 – The Ring and The Proposal (L'anello e la Proposta)**

**Chapter 0.09 – Fight and Love (Lotta ed Amore)**

**Chapter 10.0 – Secrets, Lies, and Truth (****Segreti, Bugie e Verità) **

And as the other chapters come in… I'll put the meaning in the A/N or something. Sorry I didn't get this sooner. It kept slipping my mind. So anyway, this has got to be one of the longest A/N's I have ever written? Maybe. So on with the story =D And please review. Oh, wait, one more thing. If you would like to receive e-mails on when this is updated, _please_ give your e-mail address in your response. It would make everything so much easier =D

Chapter 10.0 

Hermione's mind was made up. She did not care of what Draco had to say in the matter or what her consequences would be. It was, after all, _her_ body, so why not do what _she_ wanted? In the beginning she mentioned the choice, but then changed her mind and said she'd be terrible if she were to do such a thing. But then Draco had to come and tell her that he didn't want her to get the 'goddamn abortion' and he wanted to keep the 'goddamn child' right when she was actually thinking of getting it done. But now her mind was set and she knew what she was going to do.

She had awoken early, not surprised to see Draco already gone. He hadn't left a note, but then again when had he? Maybe once or twice in the whole three years they've been together? But it was all right, because if he did not feel a need to tell her of his whereabouts, then why should she? No, she wouldn't tell him of where she was going today. He'd have to figure it out on his own like she always had. 

She had on the clothes from the night before, and since she had not brought her wand or any extra clothes, she couldn't change. _It's not like I stink… I don't think they'll know I wore the clothes two days in a row. _She walked out of the room and down a set a stairs. She was lucky to find that there were only a few people present in the made part of the Leaky Cauldron, and was happy that they paid no mind to her walking right past them, hair dishevelled. 

Hermione decided to go to her house before anything else. She needed money for the abortion and while there she'd freshen up. The only thing she was afraid of is what her mother would say. Would she be angry with her for deciding to get the abortion, or would she be somewhat relieved since she got that 'bad vibe' from Draco? Hermione sighed, walking out of the Leaky Cauldron and into the Muggle village of London. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, looking around at her surroundings. _Only a few people; hope they don't give me strange looks… _She began walking down the street, on her way to a pay phone booth to call her mother and ask for a ride home. _Oh, god, I hope she isn't angry with me… _Finally reaching her destination, she pulled out a few Muggle coins she always kept with her and put them into the slot on the phone, but not before picking up the receiver. She quickly dialled her home phone number and prayed to any god out there that they hadn't left for work yet.

"Hello?" an exasperated voice answered.

Hermione sighed, running her fingers through her hair again. "Mum? It's Hermione."

"Oh! Hermione, dear, where have you been! Your two friends, Harry and Ron-"

"What about them?" she interrupted. She was hoping that they hadn't stopped by again to try and start trouble with Draco…

"They sent you a letter, but you weren't here and at the time I was present and took the letter and when I noticed it was from them, I remembered you were with them so why would they send you a letter? But then when I received another letter from them, they said you were with _Draco_ and they hadn't seen you since the other day. I can't believe you lied to me!" Her mother practically spat out _Draco _and started to sound even more annoyed than when she answered.

"Mum, I'm sorry, but you wouldn't have let me gone if I told you I was really seeing Draco. We can continue this at home. Please pick me up, mum. We really need to talk."

Her mum sighed. "I have work. I don't have time. I'll be late."

"So what! Mum, I can't believe you!" she yelled, throwing down the phone. "There, now I've wasted the last of my money!" she yelled again, to no one in particular. "Guess I'll just _walk_ home. It'll be good exercise, anyway." So she began to walk, not too slow but not fast enough to avoid a certain someone. 

"Hermione!" a voice called. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" 

Hermione sighed, turning around to face Harry. "I'm on my way home; and yourself? Where's Ron?" she asked curiously.

"Oh." Harry hesitated before answer her question. "He's not here."

"Obviously," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Where is he? Have you two gotten into a fight?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably, and then answered, "Sort of. You know how his temper is? Just angry that I'm not as angry as him with… you and Malfoy… you know, the ring and all. Thinks you're getting married to him. " 

"Oh," Hermione breathed, taking in the new information. "Well, Ron has no need to be angry any longer. We aren't getting married and if it'll make him feel any better… I turned Draco down." There was a brief silence after Harry nodded to what Hermione said. "But may I ask why you aren't as angry as he is?"

Harry smiled. "That's the easy part. I'm, of course, more understanding than Ron: it isn't your fault you fell in love Malfoy of all people. If you're happy, I'm happy."

Hermione smiled as well. "Thank-you Harry; you're a great friend. Now if you don't mind, would you walk with me to my house? I'd love the company."

Nodding, Harry replied, "Sure, Hermione. Where's Malfoy?" The two friends began walking down the street once again.

"Oh," she frowned. "He's gone somewhere… I don't know. Never bothers to leave a note or wake me up and tell me… It's like a puzzle I'm supposed to figure out on my own. Though it'll surprise me if he were at his manor…." 

"So, wait, where did you stay last night?"

"Leaky Cauldron." _I wonder if I should tell him about my plan… _"Hey, Harry?"

"Hm?" he glanced at Hermione.

"I'm not going to keep the baby." 

"What? Why not? I never would have thought that you'd abort your own child. Maybe Malfoy, but definitely not you, Hermione."

Hermione sighed, slowing her pace. "You have to understand, Harry. This child is making everything a million times worse than they already are. Draco and I have been arguing more lately, ever since I told him I was pregnant. And then in school he acts totally different than he does when we're alone… Plus, it's a benefit to the baby."

"How?"

"Voldemort wants her… he wants to use her to defeat you, and you know the story with Voldemort: 'let's take over the world because I have nothing better to do'. If the baby is dead he won't have a source to get his powers."

Harry thought about this for a moment. "So you think this will work out all right?"

_I was doing so well without thinking of consequences… Thanks, Harry, for reminding me, _she thought. "Actually… I haven't thought of the consequences."

"Very unlike you, Hermione. _Very_," Harry scolded.

"I know, I know. But I didn't want to… Draco said I'd be dead if I killed the child. I figured if I just pushed all the consequences to back of my mind, it would be a lot easier."

Harry sighed. He didn't know what to say or do. They rounded a corner and continued up the street until the came to Hermione's house. They slowly made their way to the front door; Hermione panting slightly.

"Someone's not in shape," Harry snickered.  

Hermione glared at him, then opened the front door. "Mum?" she called out. The door was unlocked, so she figured her mother hadn't yet left. _But her car wasn't there…_

Harry followed Hermione inside the house, closing the door behind him. They didn't hear a reply, so Harry asked, "You think she just forgot about the door?"

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I called just before I met up with you… maybe she left it unlocked for a reason." She began to climb up the stairs to her room to get changed but heard a noise from the guest bedroom. She looked behind her, seeing Harry there. "You hear that?"

Harry nodded, following her to the door of the guestroom. "What do you think it is?"

A million thoughts ran though Hermione's mind as she turned the knob of the door. _Maybe it's Draco… no; he wouldn't come here… maybe a robber? Death Eaters! _Opening the door all the way, she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Look, Harry," she said, pointing to a cat chasing around something invisible.

"Crookshanks?" Harry asked in disbelief. "That was a lot of racket."

"Hmm," she sighed. "Wonder what he's chasing? I can't see it… it's like he's just chasing air."

Harry noticed this, too. "Maybe there's a mouse under the flooring?"

"Maybe. I need to get changed, so I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay here and see if you can find out what he's chasing…" Hermione then left the room to go to her own. Walking in, she noticed some things were placed differently… _Obviously mother has been snooping again…_ She walked over to her closet, taking about a pair of baby blue sweatpants and sweatshirt. They weren't exactly sweatpants, but something like them. She swapped clothes and then turned to face her mirror. She sighed, placing a hand on her stomach. "It's for you own good, you know," she whispered, as if the baby could understand. "You won't be tortured with being a death eater like your father… no Voldemort in your way to discourage you…. You won't have to deal with your squabbling parents nor your bloody grand-mum and _her_ bickering. It'll be better for you; out of harm's way." A tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek, she made no attempt to wipe it away. She saw Harry's reflection in the mirror and forced a smile. He smiled in return, walking up to her. She turned around and hugged Harry with all her might. "You'll come with me, right?" she whispered into his ear.

"Of course," he whispered in reply, "where to?"

Hermione stifled a giggle as she broke apart from him. "The clinic; for the abortion. I know Draco won't… he doesn't even want me to have the abortion."

Harry nodded, taking Hermione's hand in his own. "I'll be there," he said softly. Neither of them felt any other emotions towards each other except friendship, though they couldn't help but comfort each other in this rough time they were experiencing. 

Hermione smiled, glad Harry was here for her if Draco wasn't. "Thank-you, Harry; as I said before: you are a great friend and I love you for it." Before Harry could reply, she pulled him out of her room and down the stairs. In all honesty, she didn't want to hear his reply, in fear that things may get awkward, no matter what their feelings for each other were. Still holding onto his hand, Hermione opened the front door and before pulling Harry outside along with herself, she locked the door. 

Harry was waiting in the office of the clinic for Hermione to get everything done. What seemed to be like four hours was only one; just as he was drifting off to sleep, he saw a figure walk in front of him. He shot his eyes open, yawning as he did so. "Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione sighed, still feeling a bit of the cramps from the procedure. "Hey," she said. "Shall we go?" She watched Harry stand up and took his hand once more. 

"How was it?" he asked as they were exiting the clinic.

"_You_ try having a vacuum-like machine inside of you…." 

"I take that as a 'not-ever-doing-that-again' time?" he asked; his eyebrows rose in both curiosity and concern.

Hermione nodded. "Most definitely. I can't believe I actually did it…" They walked a few blocks before realizing where they were heading. 

"Hermione? Would you like to come back to the Burrow for the remaining Christmas holidays? I'm sure Mrs. Weasely wouldn't mind," Harry suggested.

Hermione smiled, squeezing Harry's hand extra tight. "That sound absolutely wonderful, Harry."

Indeed, the rest of the days _were_ absolutely wonderful. Well, except the stomach aches Hermione had the night she went to the Burrow, but things cleared up and soon enough she was once again at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

It was now well into January, in five days it will be February. Hermione hadn't really seen Draco around too much; they passed in the halls and saw each other in class, but besides that, they really didn't talk unless necessary. 

Hermione wasn't sure of how to tell Draco of the abortion; she feared he'd react even worse than he did when he told him she was pregnant with his child. But now that they were alone in Potions classroom, cleaning up a potion Hermione had spilt by accident when they collided (she protested that it'd only be fair if Draco had to help; surprisingly she had gotten her way), she guessed that it would be an all right time to tell him… 

"Draco?"

"What?" he snapped.

"I got the abortion."

Draco stopped what he was doing completely; dropping the cleaning utensils Professor Snape had made him use to clean up the mess ("No wands!") and looking up to her.

"What?" he said though a clenched jaw. 

"I. Got. The. Abortion. No. More. Baby. For. Us."

Draco then smirked, realizing it was her fault and not his and there was no way he'd be punished… at least not severely. "Look what you got yourself into, Granger."

"It was only for the best, you know!" she yelled.

He ignored her statement. "No more baby, no more Draco. No more of this little thing we share, Granger. I warned you, yet you completely ignored me and got yourself into a worse predicament than you were in the first place."

"What?" 

"Do you have _ears_, Granger, or are you _deaf_?" He stood up, looking down at Hermione who was still kneeling on the floor. "And they say you're _smart_!"

Hermione sighed, standing up as well. "It was the _right_ choice and any _smart_ person would have done so! So what if I'm going to die now! The baby is gone and Voldemort has no 'heir'. And it's not like I wasn't going to die, anyway, if I were to have kept the child. So what does it matter? Especially to _you_, Malfoy?"

Draco thought for a moment. What _did_ it matter if she died? "Now that you mention it, it _doesn't_ matter to me if you die earlier in life. After all, you brought it upon yourself."

"I just _hate_ you sometimes!" Hermione yelled, then walked out of the Potions classroom, forgetting about the mess she had to clean. Tears poured down her cheeks as she ran to her dormitory. Upon entering, people shot her concerned glances but she didn't care. She ran up the stairs to her room, glad there was no one else in there at the time. She threw herself onto her four-poster bed, crying into her pillow. _I did the right thing and yet he's angry with me! I can never please anyone, can I? Ron hates the fact that I've fallen in love with Malfoy of all people and though Harry says he has no problems with it, I know he's lying; everyone hates us together. Even mum and dad! Mum and her 'bad vibes'… Draco's parents hate me, as well… oh, because I'm a _'mudblood'_. They are really immature, caring about bloodlines. Sometimes I hate myself more than they do… _As the last thought crossed her mind, the idea of dieing came into view. "I am definitely not letting Voldemort have fun with torturing and killing me!" Hermione yelled as she sat up. "I'll do it myself to ensure so." She pulled out her wand from her robe pocket and said a quick spell to transfigure her quill into a pocket knife. "Remember when Draco slit my arm?" she asked herself. _Oh, this is selfish,_ something inside her said. "No; it's not!" she yelled she took the knife and drew it across her wrist, cutting deep enough to see blood run over her arm and drip onto her bed sheets. _Yes, it is and don't you deny it! You're going to go too far and you'll be dead_! "No shit I'll be dead! That's the point." _Think of Harry and Ron! They'll miss you dearly. And your parents! _"Oh, shut up!" She took the knife again and slid it across her other wrist, this time deeper. More blood spilt from her and her sheets were getting pretty bloody, though she felt a weight suddenly lifted off of her shoulders. She forgot about Draco and the baby, Harry and Ron and her parents, how she never seems to satisfy anyone. Breathing heavily, she brought the knife up to her throat and quickly broke the skin around her neck, letting even more blood fall out; her eyes were open the entire time, watching the white sheets become red. An idea occurred to her and she pointed her wand in front of her, saying one of the unforgivable curses. 

**Author's Note: **I'm starting a new story, though I'm not sure what it's going to be called… but trust me, I'll finish this one. =D This new story has a better plot/story line than this one. But I haven't started chapter one yet, so when I do I'll tell you.


	11. Aria Malinconica

Disclaimer- 

**Author's Note: **Hello. =D I'm bored. It's 01:48 A.M and I've got nothing to do besides write this chapter and watch Almost Strangers on BBC America. =P So… yeah. Plus, it'll make up for the delay in chapters nine and ten. =D This chapter will mostly focus on Hermione and her emotions at the present time. The next chapter will be mostly Draco. Oh, and Eveline isn't pronounced as "Ev-el-lyn", but as "Ev-el-ine". Long 'i', there. =D

**Chapter 11.0 – Melancholic Air (Aria Malinconica)**

"Crucio!"

Hermione felt the curse hit her just seconds after saying the magic words. She fell onto her bed once again, writhing in pain. It was too much to handle, way too much. The last thing she saw while conscious was a group of girls, their giggles becoming screams.

A baby was crying. A baby with light brown hair, small curls already starting to take form on her small head. Her eyes were brown, her skin pale. She was wearing a white, flower-laced dress though it was obviously two sizes too big. Her small feet were in white socks, also laced with flowers. She was lying in a white bassinette, a small heart-shaped pillow beneath her head.

Her crying stopped as a young woman stepped up to the bassinette. She, like the baby, had brown curly hair and brown eyes. Her skin wasn't pale, however, but toned just right. She was wearing a white dress as well; the dress she wore to the Christmas Ball. In fact, she looked exactly as she had during the Ball. She slowly reached out for the baby, both hands holding her tightly. She lifted her above her head, seeing the baby's big brown eyes staring down into hers. 

"You need a name," the woman whispered. She brought the baby down into her arms, cradling her. "Eveline seems to fit you, don't you agree?" The baby lay in tranquility, eyes still looking into the woman's.

A gust of wind came out of nowhere, causing the woman to hold the baby tighter to her chest. She looked around, noticing for the first time that they were in a garden, a very big garden with stone hedges and rosebushes, sunflowers and daffodils, pansies and tulips. She looked around at the ground and saw that she was standing on a stone path. It was a very beautiful garden but at the same time very creepy. Her eyes followed to where the path led, and when she saw she gasped. 

There was a wooden bench with a canopy of blood red roses; behind it was a door leading to somewhere and curiosity getting the better of her, she walked towards the bench. There were words inscribed on it, some of which she couldn't make out but with the ones she could she read aloud.

"Eveline? Why is your name on here?" she asked the baby, but not expecting an answer. "Hermione?" she whispered. "But… that's my name and… it's right next to Eveline… but I've never been here…"

"Of course you haven't," a voice said, "not in your current life form, at least."

Hermione turned around and saw a man standing before her. He wasn't old, but wasn't young; his hair was long and blonde, his eyes grey and skin pale. "Draco?" she whispered.

The man shook his head. "No, afraid not. I don't actually have a form… so you're able to view me in the form you wish most were with you when you're here. I'm guessing Draco is the one you want with you?"

Hermione nodded her head, then glanced down at the baby. "This is my baby?"

"Yes, she is. Eveline, is it? Beautiful name. She's safe here."

Hermione nodded again. "I know. That's why… that's why I did that to her…"

The Draco-looking man walked closer to Hermione, reaching out to touch the baby's hand. "Why am I here?" Hermione asked.

"You're dead. Either that or you're one of those special people who come here when they are unconscious."

"Dead?" I can't be dead, she thought to herself. I only did crucio and slit my wrists and… neck.

"Yes, well, you've lost a lot of blood I heard."

"Excuse me? You can read my thoughts?"

"I didn't mean to be rude, but yes, I can."

"So I'm dead?" she asked again, changing the subject.

"Not always. You may be unconscious and very close to death."

"Oh, that makes me feel even better." I can't die! Ron and Harry will be so sad… mum and dad, too.

"You mean to tell me you wouldn't rather stay here with you beautiful daughter? You're both safe from the troubles back there. You can have anything you wish."

Hermione thought about this proposal for a moment. "It was really selfish of me to want to kill myself rather than have Voldemort do it… Mum and dad will be so sad, so will Harry and Ron, and Draco…"

"Do you think Draco cares?"

This struck Hermione like an arrow being plunged into her. "N-no, but… I miss him." Hermione sighed. "I'll come back here when I really die, won't I?"

The man sighed as well. "Not necessarily. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Or, really, should I say deathtime? You may not be with your daughter the next time you die… you may be with the things you hate most."

"Can't she come back with me?" 

"No."

This is such a tough decision! Go back with Draco or stay with Eveline? "But there is a chance that I may see her again? In this garden?"

"Yes. This is the place she has chosen to stay in her afterlife. If she wished you to be with her the next time you die, this is where you'll end up."

"And Draco, too?"

"Yes, if she doesn't already hate him."

Wouldn't be surprised if she did. "Then… I'm sorry, Eveline, but I have to go." The baby started crying, seeing the painful look on her mother's face. Hermione began rocking the baby is her arms, trying to soothe her. 

"Is that what you want? To go back down there?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes." She then leaned down to Eveline's ear and whispered, "I love you."

Hermione awoke to a cold hand covering her own. _Who else has cold hands, _she asked herself, _besides Snape? Wait- what? _She slowly opened her eyes to see Draco sitting beside her bed, leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed, yet his arm was outstretched to her own. She almost laughed out loud. __

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper. 

Draco withdrew his hand, keeping his eyes closed all the while. "I heard you had an… _accident._"

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, so?" _I shouldn't be here… I should have succeeded and died. _Of course she had no memory of being partially dead and with her daughter, not forget that creepy Draco-looking man, in that place… of course, she dreamt of seeing her daughter but that's all it was to her: a dream.

"You had them worried."

"Were _you_ worried?" Her voice was obviously full of hope that he was.

He kept quiet for a few minutes. But a few minutes was enough for Hermione to become lost in her own thoughts…

Worried? Who am I kidding? He never told me where he was going that day in the Leaky Cauldron… that obviously says he doesn't care if I get kidnapped by crazy wizards… or perhaps he thinks I'm smart enough to figure things out on my own? I still say I should be dead… away from all this trouble. Why hadn't I succeeded? What is wrong with me? Is it not my time to leave, or what? How can I stay here? This world is horrible… Voldemort's always breathing down your neck if you're a death eater, and Merlin forbid you're a muggle or muggle-born… or even a pureblood follower of Dumbledore like the Weasely's… No one's safe anymore. Even if you are a follower of Voldemort, you have that same chance of being killed as you do if you were a muggle. Don't they see that? No, of course not, they are too busied in 'pleasing their Almighty master'… what freaks! They think it's right to go around killing innocent people. The ones that should be dead are they; they are far from innocent. Not all of the may have killed a person yet, like Draco and the soon-to-be death eaters, but they should still have the common sense to quit while they can. Can't they get over their super egos and all that Slytherin bullshit? They don't have to follow Dumbledore but they can at least admit that they know right from wrong and leave Voldemort out of their lives…

"Are you listening to me?"

"Hm?" Hermione shook her head, coming back to reality. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking…"

Draco nodded, rolling his eyes. "Right. Well, as I was saying… Father's heard of it."

Hermione stared at him vacantly. "Heard of…?"

To compress his anger as much as possible, Draco clenched his fists at his side and closed his eyes for a second. "Stupid girl… Everything. He's heard of everything. The death of the child, your "accident"… all caused by you, which I made quite clear to him so I am not the one punished for something I had nothing to do with. Oh," he laughed slightly, "does he have the perfect punishment…"

It was habitual for Draco to say such cruel things, so no shock came upon Hermione when she heard what he said. "Is that what you came here to tell me?"

Draco unclenched his fists and met his eyes with hers. "Yes, I suppose I should be going now, but daddy dearest gave me special instructions for you."

Fortunately for Hermione, who did not want to hear the "special instructions", Madam Pomfrey walked into the large room and over to Hermione's bed. In her hand she carried a small vile with dark coloured liquid. She handed it to Hermione, who took it, and then looked at Draco skeptically. 

"He hasn't been giving you any difficulties, has he, dear?" she asked, eyes still on Draco.

"Of course not, Madam," Draco said with fake sincerity. A smirk crept upon his face as he glanced to Hermione and lifted up her hand, looking back to Pomfrey. "Why would I bother my dear friend Hermione?" He kissed her hand softly, eyes locked with Madam Pomfrey's.

Hermione sighed, pulling her hand away. "Actually, Madam, he has been quite bothersome but he'll be leaving soon anyhow; thank-you for you concern. May I ask what is in this vile?" 

Madam Pomfrey sighed, too, turning to Hermione. "Yes, well, as long as he isn't too disrupting. This vile contains a dreamless sleeping potion. You've just awoken officially today and I don't want you to have any nightmares. You need your rest anyway."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I'll be sure to take it." I wonder if she knows? Right before Madam Pomfrey left the bedside, Hermione asked, "Madam? Do you… I had something done earlier this year…"

The old woman smiled. "Yes, dear, we know about it all. Don't worry, everything will be fine." With one last glance at Draco, she walked away.

Before Hermione could open the vile, it was snatched out of her hand and thrown on the floor. 

"You won't be needing that," Draco said, standing up.

Hermione sighed. "Obviously not," she closed her eyes, "what are the 'special instructions', Draco?" She didn't want to hear them, she'd admit that to you, but she didn't want to go anywhere with Draco unless she knew what was up.

At this, Draco smirked. "You want to know? Oh, that's too bad. Strictly confidential between us death eaters." He pulled out an invisibility cloak, obviously his, and threw it at Hermione. "Let's go. Get up. Put that on."

Opening her eyes, she glanced to Draco and then at the cloak lying in her lap. "Where are we going?"

"Does it matter? Just put the bloody cloak on and let's go!"

"Yes, it matters! I'm not putting anything on until I know where we're going!"

"All right! We're going to visit my mother. Now hurry before someone comes in!"

"Visit your mother? What for?" 

"Stupid mudblood," Draco mumbled as he pulled Hermione up and out of the bed and grabbed the cloak, shoving it in her hands. "It doesn't matter," he said through his teeth. "You're wasting valuable time! Put the damn cloak on and move!" 

Sighing, Hermione did as she was told, although she did not believe they were visiting his mother at all. "Happy now, oh Great One?"

"No," he said, holding out his hand, "now follow me. And you better stay behind me and not stray off to lover boys or Dumbledweeb."

"Oh, that's right, you won't know where I am since I'll be invisible." 

"I warned you too many times, Granger, and I shouldn't have. Listen to me this time and maybe you'll save yourself from being killed. Now follow me and don't sneak off." He started walking out of the infirmary, and as he reached for the door he felt something on him. "What are you doing, Granger?"

"It'll be easier if you're in here as well, don't you think?" 

Draco growled, but opened the door without saying anything. He led Hermione down stairs and through halls, and finally out of the Hogwarts castle. He began to walk towards the Forbidden Forest when suddenly Hermione took a hold of his right hand. He tried to shake her off but she wouldn't budge. 

"Let go of my hand, Granger."

"We're going in there?"

"How the bloody hell do you expect me to apparate? Can't on Hogwarts grounds or have you forgotten?" As they reached the beginning of the forest, Draco stopped and turned around to face Hermione. "Do not grab onto my hand while we're in there, and if you hear any noises please do not scream or wrap your arms around me like a sissy girl would."

"Perfectly understood."

Going through the forest wasn't too bad for Hermione when she was with Draco. It was as if he calmed her, because he was connected to Lord Voldemort, and no longer was she afraid of where they were going or what was going to happen to her. 

Draco stopped suddenly and pulled the cloak off the two of them. "Hold on to the cloak, Granger, and don't loose it." He took a rough hold of her arm and before she saw what was going on, everything blurred and a bright light hit her eyes. 

Something in the air didn't feel right. He had heard of Hermione's accident, and did visit her, but while she was still unconscious, and only once. It wasn't because he didn't love her, because he did, with all his heart and soul. It was because he couldn't bear seeing her so pale, so fragile, so hopeless. He hated how he done that to herself, without first telling him what was on her mind. She always had, right? He wasn't as close with her as he was with Ron, but he was pretty sure Hermione had told him some of her personal thoughts. She had, hadn't she? A blanket of guilt covered him and before he knew it, he found himself in front of the infirmary, fully aware that if he were caught he'd get detention. 

He opened the door quietly, and stepped inside. He searched the room for a bed occupied, but found all were vacant. An odd feeling, one he has never felt before, settled in the pit of his stomach. Because where was Hermione, and why was there glass and liquid covering a portion of the floor near one of the beds?

**Author's Note: **I am terribly sorry I have not updated in over a month. I'll be honest with you- I got a slight case of writer's block. I had this chapter almost halfway finished, and then I got my report card _ Besides that, the mouse on my computer broke and I couldn't really access anything because it's just hard, you know, with no mouse? But now I found an old mouse and I'll be using that, so chapters should be out sooner. ^_^ Once again- if you want to receive e-mails of when I update this story, please say so and leave your address when you review. =D


	12. Le emozioni Soppresse

**Disclaimer-** In no way is this fic raising money. All characters belong to their respective owners (J.K Rowling, Warner Bros.). 

**Author's Note: **The last POV was Harry's in case you were confused. Thank-you all who reviewed; it means a lot to me. Glad I got some of you hooked. =D So as said last time, this chapter will be focusing on Draco's feelings and whatnot. Earlier this morning, as I was lying in bed, I was thinking o how to start off this chapter. And then I got it! But now I forget. So I tried my hardest to remember everything, so it won't be as I imagined nor as good as it could've been if I would've just gotten up and started typing it so I wouldn't forget. _ But whatever, I hope you enjoy this chapter, anyway. And… **last chapter it says they were going to Malfoy Manor. That is a mistake and will be fixed. I realized earlier when I was thinking that I did not intend on making them go there- I just had no other ideas and it was something that popped up. So I will be fixing that after this chapter is done. Where they will be going will be revealed here. **And one more thing. ^^; I don't know all too much about apparating. I have a bad memory and I'm too lazy to go see apparating stuff in books or on websites… if you know anything, tell me in the reply and I'll fix it… just don't flame me.

**Chapter 12 - Le emozioni Soppresse (Suppressed Emotions)**

He hated himself. With all sincerity, Draco Malfoy truly despised his being more than anyone in the world. Not only had he befriended a mudblood, but also he had allowed himself to fall in love with her- although he would never admit it to anyone who asked. He wasn't supposed to like mudbloods, or even have _one civil conversation_ with them. But he had. You can't help who you fall in love with, and for this Draco was angry: out of _all_ people he fell for a mudblood, someone way below his standards. Someone he was supposed to hate with a passion. But in away he _did_ hate her, because she a.) was a mudblood, and b.) made feel even more confused about things than normally, than before he ever started a "relationship" with her. 

So why stay with her, then, if she was below his standards and he hated her? That was something even Draco had no explanation for. He loved hating her, and he hated loving her: typical love-hate relationship? Probably. 

The landing was a rough one, but that didn't matter to Draco: as long as they were where they needed to be all was well. Of course he had not told Hermione about the apparating- why should he have? She's the smartest girl at Hogwarts, after all, so she had to have read up on apparation at one point in time. 

Draco opened his eyes, blinking a few times. "Well, let's go, we haven't got all day."

Opening her eyes as well, Hermione replied, "You still have yet to tell me where we 'haven't got all day' to be."

"It really doesn't matter right now. Hurry the hell up." He began walking, and it was then that Hermione realized they were still in the Forbidden Forest. Or were they?

"Did we even _go_ anywhere?"

"What are you talking about, Granger?" Draco asked, not bothering to turn around.

"Did we not just apparate from here?" 

"No," he mumbled, and said nothing more. At times she could be so dense…

"Draco, slow down," Hermione distantly called.

Draco did not bother to turn around nor stop and wait for her; he continued walking. "Stupid girl," he mumbled, "so slow, so bloody slow." Why he even bothered with her was a mystery to him and the entire world. It wasn't like he hated her entirely, just the fact that she was a mudblood, and possibly because she irritated him with all her goody-two-shoe-ness. "Friends with Saint Potter. Why, oh fucking _why_ would _anyone_ want to be friends him? Fucking 'King of Goodness'… Dumbledweeb practically worships him."

"_Excuse me_," Hermione said, "but Harry is a wonderful person and the best friend anyone could ask for."

"What're you saying, Granger? Am I not a good friend?" He turned around to face her. _Finally caught up, eh? Slow…_

"I'm not trying to say that… but now that you ask: _no_, you are _not_ a good friend. You treat _everyone_ like crapt, friend or not!" 

"Do you want me to be nice to everyone? It doesn't work that way, Granger. I only treat with respect those who deserve it."

"Death eaters, you mean?"

"_No_. Do you think I 'love' every single death eater? You're out of your fucking mind if you do."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" he mumbled, turning around and continuing walking, this time at a bit faster pace. 

"You treat me so bad, but yet you stay with me. Why?" She had to make her voice loud for him to hear her, as she stood where she was for a few seconds.

"You're a mudblood, Granger. Have you forgotten?" he yelled back.

"Then _why_ do you stay with me?" she obviously had ran to catch up to him, because before he knew it she was at his side, breathing hard.

"This isn't the best time for asking these questions, Granger. Hurry up, now. Don't stray; I won't bother to come find you." 

"Then when _is_ the best time, Draco?"

"Later. Not now," he shook his head, "never."

"I love you, Draco. I don't know why, but I do. You have to have some feelings for me if you are staying with me even though I'm not a pureblood like you. Am I right?"

 "No, not exactly. And what did I say; this is not the time for this kind of talk!" Draco stopped and turned to Hermione, grabbing a rough hold of her shoulders, shaking her a bit. He tried to control his anger. "You make me so angry sometimes… You don't know when to shut up, do you?"

Hermione almost smirked, and this Draco saw. "I make you angry?"

He glared at her. "What're you smirking at, Granger?"

"I anger you. I have found a weakness within you. If I make you so angry, so quickly, I can surely defeat you in no time."

What the hell was she talking about? "Everyone gets angry, Granger." He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Yes, they do, and that is why the world is so weak. You let the anger control you, therefore allowing me, or anyone one, to defeat you. I thought Malfoy's did not show emotion, or weakness?" She felt proud of herself, in a way.

Draco just stared at her for a moment and with one last squeeze of her shoulders he let her go. He then smirked. "You think you're smart, don't you, Granger?"

"I would like to believe so, seeing as I am the top student, ABOVE you." Another thing she felt proud of.

"Isn't cute, Granger? The kind of cute when your bloody female relatives pinch your cheeks," he said, and then pinched her left cheek, rather hard. 

Hermione held up a hand to her cheek, caressing it. "What's cute?"

"How you think you are the _best_ student. How you think you are higher than everyone else. When in fact, Granger, you're lower than a lot of people. You're so conceited, thinking you are on the top of the world… but you aren't. You're at the bottom, the very bottom, all alone."

"Maybe so, but I'm not alone." 

"You aren't? Then please, tell me who your lovely companion is." He smirked, yet again. 

"You."

Oh great, another mushy situation for him to be in with her. "Me? What makes you think I'm at the 'very bottom'?" 

"Just looking at you." 

"Judging by appearance, Miss Granger?"

"Yes. But only because I know it's true. You give off an odd aura, Draco, and I think that's why I am attracted to you like I am. I don't think many people pay attention to auras as much as they should, but I'm not them, and I do."

Is that why he was with her, because he was attracted to her aura? 

"But you put up a front," she continued, "and that's an obstacle I'm still trying to conquer. I don't, however, plan on changing you, if that's what you might be thinking. I wouldn't want to change someone, evil or not. It would ruin your personality. You need to trust someone. You don't, as I've noticed, trust me like you should. Perhaps it was because of how you were brought up, or maybe something happened in the past causing you to stop trusting people. But I can be trusted, Draco; I won't tell Ron or Harry or even Dumbledore anything you tell me. I'm not the type of person to go around babbling your secrets, even if I am in a huge fight with you. What you tell me I hold dear to heart, feeling honoured you would trust me enough to tell me something you would tell no other soul. It's one of the few things that make me feel good: when a person trusts me. I understand if it may take some more time for you to trust me completely, but I want you to know that whenever you need someone to talk to, I'll be here for you." All the while saying this, she kept her eyes on Draco's, and vice versa. 

He didn't answer her. He should have, but he didn't. He thought for a few minutes, about what she had just told him, but that's it. He was not about to go all mushy- you never know who's watching you when you're in a forest. "We're running late," he said at last.

Hermione sighed, hoping he'd at least say something about the trust issue, but he didn't. It was all right with her, because you never know when he might come to her, trusting her. It would be a surprise, and she liked surprised. Sometimes. She then nodded her head. "I'm sorry."

Draco shrugged, and continued walking through the forest. 

**A/N: **Oh, so I guess we won't know where they are going yet. Oh well. I am on yet another writer's block. I seriously cannot write Lucius/Voldemort/death eater situations. I'm going to reread the books where Lucius or any death eaters came in… most likely the third and fourth books… so it might take awhile for another update. I tried not to make this sappy. I don't think it is, too much, but Hermione is, not Draco. Oh well. I try to keep it IC as much as I can, but I'm not perfect, so. 


	13. Tragedia

**Disclaimer-** The song used in the chapter is by Sixpence None the Richer. 

**Author's Note- **Sorry if this story seems like it's going nowhere. It's confusing, I know, but it's not because I have no clue of what I'm doing with the story. My moods tend to fluctuate quite often, and sometimes this happens when I'm in the middle of writing a chapter, so things come out altered a bit. So, once again, sorry if this is confusing to you. Also, there will only be one more chapter of this story and then I am doing a sequel. The sequel won't be long at all, but I think it may be more interesting… 

Chapter 13.0 – Tragedia (Tragedy) 

_Why isn't Draco telling me where we're going? _Hermione thought. _And why does it feel like we're getting nowhere? _They were still in what Hermione thought was the Forbidden Forest, and everything was so confusing…

Draco stopped, examined the area, and then turned to Hermione. "We're almost there. Change your clothes and only speak when you are asked to, you understand?" 

Hermione nodded, and took out her wand to change her pyjamas into a short skirt and blouse, along with her robe. She also made her messy hair pin-straight, and then pulled it into a ponytail. "Whom are we meeting out here, in the wild?" she asked.

"My Lord and father." 

"Figures," she sighed. 

Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the forest until they were in an empty field. Hermione saw that the clouds were stormy grey, and the grass was long and moved with the wind. _It could almost look beautiful_, she thought. She then saw in the distance a large dark figure, which she recognized as Lucius Malfoy. _That blonde hair gives it all away._

"Where is your 'Lord'?" she asked Draco.

"Right behind you," a voice hissed. 

Hermione spun around, seeing the hideous creature Voldemort was. His red, squinty eyes looked into her own, and then down to her stomach. "Where is that child you are supposed to be carrying, my mudblood?"

Pulling her arms around her stomach, Hermione replied, "She's in a better place."

"You never gave her a chance to make her own decisions. Just killed her, because you did not want her to be of help to me?" 

"Yes. She didn't need to grow up in such a _loving_ family," she said, and glanced at Lucius as he came up behind Draco and herself. 

Voldemort laughed, evilly of course, and turned to Draco. "You did not watch her as you were told." He held out his wand, and said an unforgivable- "Crucio!" 

Draco tried his hardest not to fall to the ground, but failed. Hermione looked down at him, and was about to comfort him when Lucius grabbed her arm.

"What do you think you're doing, _mudblood?_" he spat. "I hope you aren't thinking of _helping_ Draco. After all, it _is_ your fault."

"_My_ fault? How is that _my fault?_ I didn't say it that curse!" Hermione shot back.

"No, you didn't, but if you would have kept that child he wouldn't be in such pain. Whoever said mudbloods were smart was surely lying." He let go of her arm, pushing her away from him. "You should be happy you aren't dead already."

"I'm _not_. I _wish_ I were dead. Kill me right now. I dare you to. You'll just be helping me. But I forgot- you don't _help mudbloods_, do you?"

Lucius slapped her face, and then pointed his wand at her. "You do not speak to me that way, mudblood. Draco may allow you to but he's fucked up in the brain. _Loving_ a mudblood? How absurd! I did not raise my son to like mudbloods. Tell me, now, what kind of spell did you use on him?"

"You know love potions are illegal! And for your information, he _doesn't_ love me. I don't know where you got that idea, but as you said, 'it's absurd'." She kept her eyes on his, forgetting that Voldemort was behind her and never were you to turn your back on Lord Voldemort…

"Crucio!" Hermione heard someone yell, and then fell to the ground in pain. The spell felt much stronger than when she had done it to herself, but then it hit her that this was Voldemort doing the spell, not her… 

When she finally awoken and opened her eyes, Hermione immediately scrutinized the area for Draco. But to her dismay, he was nowhere in sight, nor Voldemort or Lucius. 

She was alone: alone in the empty field, lying in the tall grass that was still swaying with the wind. But now it had started to rain, and she noticed she was completely drenched. She reached in her robe for her wand, but it wasn't there. "They _stole_ it!" she screamed.

But no one heard her.

Why did Draco leave her? Was he taken without a choice, or did he just up and leave because he would rather be with his father and Lord than Hermione, even though a mudblood, the one he loved? Why wouldn't he just admit that he loved her? Or at least that he cared? It was obvious he had some feeling, but he would never admit to it… his ego is too big for that.

But now she was left alone, without a way home. She had been apparate to the forest, so how would she know how to get back? She had no wand, and did not know how to apparate herself. Who would save her? Who would be her knight in shining armour? Or was she destined to be alone in this field forever? 

_You must be the seed_

_Descend into earth   
Searching for the union of death and then rebirth_

_But I need love; it is patience, it is kindness.   
I need love; it is rain after the dryness   
I need love; Sister Wisdom help me see   
It's the one thing that I need  
the only thing that I need._


	14. Una fuga da tutto

**Disclaimer- **If I claimed to be J.K.R, would you believe me?I think not.

**Author's Note: **I know the last few chapters have been horrible, but this one may be a bit better. I get very bad writer's block and the story turns out so crappy- but I think I mentioned that before. And please review. ;_; I have only gotten a few reviews for chapters 12 and 13- _together_. If you think the chapter sucks, please say so, because I haven't gotten a flame yet. ;) Anyway, any ideas that you may have- feel free to e-mail me or leave it in your review. And I've changed the category to drama, because there seems to be a lot of drama and not so much romance, so it'll fit better. =D

**Chapter 14.0 – ****Una fuga da tutto (Escape from everything)**

Unbeknownst to them, Draco and Hermione and woke up at the very same moment- but both in very different places: Hermione in a field all by her lonesome, and Draco- well, he knew where he was, but how he got there was a mystery.

"Lucius," Draco hissed. "Bloody bastard…" Draco was at his home, in his room, lying in his bed. _This is it_, he thought. _This is the beginning of the initiation process to become a death eater_. It didn't completely make sense to him, but he had a feeling that that was what was happening- the initiation starting. 

He sat up in his bed, rubbing his face with him hands. How long had he been sleeping: a week or maybe only a few minutes? He looked out his window and noticed it was raining very hard. Lightning flashed across the sky and a distant roll of thunder could be heard. Draco sighed, standing up from his bed. He made his way towards the window and opened it, listening to the relaxing sound it made. He closed his eyes slightly, trying to clear his mind. 

How the hell was he going to get out of this one? He wanted to be a death eater, yes, but in order to do that he either had to kill Hermione and her parents or leave her in that field forever and then kill her parents… or something else Lord Voldemort had up his sleeve. Was losing the one only thing you've ever loved worth becoming a death eater? Sure, you'll get a lot of benefits from being a death eater, but would you ever find true love? 

"I'm eighteen years old," Draco said to himself, "I shouldn't have to follow his commands." _But in order to become a death eater you have to… _Draco sighed. There was only way out- and it isn't death.

After closing her eyes for a moment, Hermione opened them and looked around. She was no longer in that field, but in a dark room, laying on a bed and wearing… pyjamas. 

She had suddenly gotten very dizzy while walking around the field, trying to find a way out, and then before she knew it everything went black and a cool breeze swept over her. Something had taken her back to the infirmary at Hogwarts: _something_, but what?

She felt something next to her, and put her hand out to feel around. She felt a body, a very warm body, and screamed on instinct- because who was this person to sneak up on her like that? Or rather, she sneak up on them…

The body moved, and just by a change in the air, Hermione knew it had stood up and was now breathing heavily. "Don't ever do that, Hermione," it said.

"_Harry_? What are you- what happened? How did I get here?" Hermione asked.

"It's been quite a few days, actually… Dumbledore said he found you unconscious in a field. Is it correct?"

"Unconscious? What…?" Hermione shook her head. "Harry, I'm so confused, I don't know what happened…" She put her head in her hands, taking a deep breath. Then she remembered. "Where's Draco?" She looked up at Harry, who she could barely see because of the darkness.

"Malfoy? Dumbledore said nothing about Malfoy… did he leave you there? Alone? Where is he, Hermione? Ron and I will beat him up if you'd like-"

"No! Harry, it's all right. I don't know where he is, that's why I asked."

Harry sat back down. "All right then… You just missed dinner, which was quite tasty if I do say so myself."

"I'm not hungry, anyway… Not really." 

There was a short moment of silence, which of course was broken by Madam Pomfrey. "Is that talking I hear? Is the dear up, Mr. Potter?" 

"Yes, Madam, she is."  Pomfrey reached Hermione's bed and examined her. 

"It's about time. Although of course you do need your rest." She smiled, and said a quick charm to light a few candles. "You know, Mr. Potter has been here every night since day one. You should be thankful for such a loyal friend."

Hermione smiled, and so did Harry. "I am, Madam. I couldn't ask for a better one." 

Hermione was released from the infirmary the day after, and since it was a Saturday, she collected all of her missed assignments and started them immediately. 

"Working already?" Ron said as he and Harry came in the Gryffindor common room from Quidditch practice.

Hermione looked up at the two and smiled. "Yeah, I have lots to do."

Harry approached Hermione as Ron went over and chatted with a few pals. "Word on Malfoy. Not much, but you can ask Dumbledore for the entire story if you'd like, as I don't know it."

"What do you know?" Hermione asked, stopping her work and staring up at Harry. 

"He's apparently…" Harry smirked. "He ran away. Pathetic, if you ask me…"

"Ran away…? Harry, I hope this isn't some joke, because I don't think Draco would be the type to run away from things."

"He's not all you think he is, Hermione. He's definitely _not_ the bravest person I've ever met." Harry sat down next to Hermione. "Ask Dumbledore if you don't believe me. I overheard him saying something to Snape about it."

Hermione sighed. "I will. But not right now. I want to finish at least half of the assignments."

"Sure. I'll be over there with Ron, if you need me. Or him." He said, and then got up and walked over to Ron and other Gryffindor's who were on the Quidditch team.

Hermione just sat and stared at her parchment, thinking of what Harry told her and of where Draco might be.

The rumours going around Hogwarts were indeed correct, at least to a point: Draco Malfoy _did_ run away, but not because he didn't want to be a death eater; that was one of the few things in life he actually looked forward to. But rather, he escaped from his father and his foolish plans for Voldemort and his "heir", and from Hermione Granger, that stupid mudblood he just happened to fall in love with. 

It _was_ quite childish once Draco thought about it, but when the idea first came to mind it didn't seem like it. But who runs away from their problems? _Just about every human alive… _But Draco was a Malfoy, and Malfoy's weren't supposed to run away from their problems- right? There were a lot of things Malfoy's were expected and not expected to do, falling in love with a mudblood one, and running away from problems two. 

So now what was he supposed to do? Hide out at the nearest inn for the night and then continue from there? Perhaps go to another country where he would be hard to find? Having not thought about it first, Draco was pretty much screwed. Except that he had money (enough to last a lifetime) and knew magic.

Draco sighed, thinking about his father and if they were going to venture off and come look for him. _Most likely will… send dementors out… _Because you know Lucius just can't leave Draco alone and always has to make his decisions because if Draco turned out wrong, Voldemort would strike Lucius dead. Lucius, like Draco, had his decisions pre-made, but by Voldemort. Lucius liked to consider himself Voldemort's "right-hand man", but it was quite obvious he wasn't. Draco had promised himself that he was not going to be brainwashed like his father, and would become a death eater but by his own will: no one was going to force it upon him and no one was going to deny it from him. 

_Except Granger… she seems to be in my way… she's trying to discourage me, probably on a mission from Dumbledore to turn me "good", turn me away from what I want to do. _"Damn them all," he hissed. 

Draco walked around the area, which was a vacant lot at some muggle place, whatever they called their shopping suppliers. He was hours and miles away from Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts, but it still wasn't safe enough to walk out in the open because anyone could be out looking for him- even disguised as a muggle. But the morning would be even tougher to get around, so he decided to apparate to another location, somewhere far, far away from England, like on the other side of the earth. But just as he was about to, someone called out his name from afar. 

"Draco!"

Draco sighed and stood still for a moment but then turned around. The moment he saw the figure he knew who it was. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just seeing as to where you are, what you are doing, _why_ you are doing it." 

"It's none of your business, mother."

"But isn't it? Am I not your mother, the very being that gave birth to you? Why do you deny me, Draco? Haven't I shown you enough love?"

"Mother, you've been drinking, haven't you? How'd you find me all the way out here?"

"It's an instinct us mother's have, dear son. We need to protect our children and therefore are equipped with a special ability… like a sixth sense. Or seventh. Whatever number of senses we have already." Narcissa began walking towards Draco, and as the light hit her full figure Draco noticed she had red on her white dress.

"What is that red crapt, mother? Is it that red wine shit you bought from muggles?"

Narcissa glanced down to her dress and then back to Draco. "No, no, it isn't. It's blood, Draco. Perhaps it came from the beloved mudblood of yours? Or maybe her parents?"

"I don't care if it's her parents' blood but if it's hers, mother, I swear-"

Narcissa chuckled, approaching Draco. "Sill boy. Did you actually think I would let _anything_ from a mudblood spill onto my dress?"

"No," Draco glared at her. But then a thought came into his mind and he smirked. "But haven't you been fucking that muggle? Oh, what's his name?"

"Charlie?" 

"Yes, him. Muggles are just as bad as mudbloods, mother."

"Yes, but Charlie is different, Draco. And how did you find out! I don't ever remember telling you. Don't ever tell your father, Draco!"

Chuckling, Draco replied, "I was just joking, mother. I had no idea you were fucking a muggle. But thanks for that information; next time you piss me off guess who's going to be in deep shit?"

Narcissa's face grew red and she slapped Draco. "You show so much disrespect to me!" 

Draco glared at his mother and grabbed her wrist. "Don't you ever hit me, _mommy dearest_. Do it again and I'll for sure tell Lucius of your affair with _Charlie_. How disgusting, mother! I can't believe I even _call_ you mother. You're a disgrace to the Malfoy name; do you know that? Such a disgrace!" He pushed her away roughly, giving her a look of pure disgust. "I don't see why father even puts up with you. You're constantly drinking and always so fucking annoying! You can't mind your own business. You remind me of that Granger mudblood, always antagonizing me." He then pointed his wand at her. "I could kill you, mother, I really could and really should." He stepped an inch closer to her. "Would you rather be killed by your son or your husband?"

"Husband," she whimpered.

"Oh? Are you sure? He'll torture you for sure, dear Narcissa. I, on the other hand, will get to the point and no pain will be inflicted." 

"You sound like your father, Draco."

"Lucius? Heh, do I really?" Narcissa nodded and Draco grabbed her throat. "Don't ever say that again," he said through gritted teeth. "I may believe in some things he does but that does _not_ make me want to be him!" He dropped Narcissa on the ground and hovered over her, wand still pointed at her. "You made a terrible mistake in coming out here, mother. You should have stayed at home. Now you'll just have to suffer the consequences. The only time you're moving is when the damn muggles find your body and report it to the police." 

Narcissa, scared to death, just stared up at Draco. "It is the mudblood's fault you're acting this way, isn't it? She corrupted you and made you think otherwise about your mother! And about your father, I guess. About everything we ever taught you!"

"No! Do not bring her into this, damn it! She did nothing to make me think otherwise about _anything_! That is all _my_ doing. I would _never_ allow someone to 'brainwash' me like that. I believe what I want to believe, not what others tell me!" There was a small bit of silence. "I'm sorry it has to end like this, mother, but you had it coming since day one."  Draco inhaled, and then muttered, "Avada kedavra."

Hermione sighed, rolling over on her side. She was lying on her bed, trying to fall asleep, but was failing miserably. There had been so sign of Draco for two weeks so far, and just earlier Dumbledore announced to the entire student body that Narcissa Malfoy was found dead in a lot at a muggle shopping mall. There were no signs of who did it, although they were guessing it was Draco. No one had any idea of where he went, not even Lucius Malfoy. 

"Draco," Hermione groaned, "why must you make me feel this way? You ran away without even telling _me_… I wouldn't have told _anyone,_ I promise…" 

**A/N- **And now the sequel! Hehe. I dunno, this chapter was a bit odd, but… I guess it's better than nothing ne? 


	15. Domande e risposte

**Disclaimer:** These things are so pointless. We should have one disclaimer in the beginning of the story thoroughly stating we are not J.K.R. It would save a lot of time and space. So don't due me, in other words. It'll be pointless.

**Author's Notes: **Blah blah blah. I hope you liked the ending to chapter fourteen. It originally wasn't supposed to end like that, but I had the sudden urge off killing a character. And anyway, I don't think anyone else has none that whole Draco-hating-Narcissa idea, just the Draco-hating-Lucius idea. I hope it was good, though. Actually… chapter fourteen was supposed to be totally different, but I guess how it is now is fine. I was going to put these next chapters into their own story, but… it'd be easier to put them here, I think. That way no one would get all confused. And I guess I'll just continue to make it one long story, and forget the whole sequel thing.

I also got a constructive criticism review the other day… and it made me think how bad this story really is. I leave out details _a lot_, especially on characters. It's just something I tend to do, I don't know why. I guess I tried to keep this story simple without getting into the thoughts of Dumbledore, Snape, Pomfrey, etc. I'm sorry. But I guess I don't really need to worry… this is just a form of entertainment, and I haven't found one story so far that is 100% correct. Why? Because we aren't J.K.R. But I appreciate it when people give me constructive criticism, because it may just help me in future stories. So, thanks. =D (it may even help me in writing this chapter, i.e.: getting Lucius' view point and stuff.) 

**Chapter 15.0 – ****Domande e risposte (Questions and Answers)**

Ever since Narcissa Malfoy's body was found in the muggle lot, Lucius Malfoy had sent out dementors by the dozen each week to search for Draco. But that was five months ago, and so far no trace of him was found. Lucius couldn't understand how they were unable to find Draco; there weren't that many places left for him to be hiding. He also couldn't understand why Dumbledore was willing to help on the search; perhaps because he wanted Draco in Azkaban for the murder of Narcissa, or maybe because he knows Draco is a very gifted wizard and wants him to switch sides.

"Hah," Lucius laughed. "Like Draco would ever go on _his_ side. He may have fallen for that _mudblood_ but-" he stopped talking, an idea brewing in his head. "The _mudblood_," he repeated. "I wonder if _she_ has any idea of where dear Draco could be… or perhaps we could even use her for _bait_…" Lucius laughed at what he thought was a brilliant plan and set off to find Hermione Granger.

Five months. Five months have passed since Hermione last saw Draco, and the days just kept getting longer. Not only was it hard for her to sleep at night because of nightmares, Hermione also found herself "talking" to Draco out of the blue, receiving quite a few stares from strangers, and a few times she had actually imagined Draco being there with her in her bed. Harry and Ron urged Hermione to visit Madam Pomfrey for some dreamless sleeping potion to at least get more energy, but she refused and told them to mind their own business in a very snappy tone. 

Lying on her back on her couch in her new apartment, Hermione thought back to the day she, Harry, and Ron graduated from Hogwarts.

_"Can you believe we're graduating, Harry?" Ron asked as he came up to Hermione and Harry._

_"No, it seems like yesterday I was still in second year fighting the basilisk." Harry and Ron shared a few laughs as they talked about the previous years, forgetting Hermione was even there._

_"Guys?" Hermione said. "Guys?" she repeated after neither of the boys answered her. "Well, I was just thinking how odd it will be to graduate without Draco, you know? We've gone to school with him for the past seven years and won't even be graduating with him. He was supposed to do a speech, but now that he isn't here to do so, Dumbledore appointed it to me. I was going to practice recite it to you guys, but since you found it kind and considerate to ignore me, I guess I'll just have to recite it to the wall." She sighed, seeing Harry and Ron still talking, not even noticing she was talking. "_Fine!" _she yelled. "If you don't want to acknowledge my presence, you don't have to. But next time you need help don't come barging to me for help!" She turned on her heels and walked away, not bothering to see if the boys had noticed her or not. _

_A few tears dropped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, her nose starting to run as her crying became harder. "I can't do it," she whispered to herself. "I'm going to fall apart the minute I mention his name…" She stopped, wiping her tears, and noticed that she was now in front of the Great Hall. "Dumbledore said to come early, didn't he? Maybe it's to recite my speech. Oh, Draco, I wish you could be here right now… even if you are an ass ninety-nine percent of the time, I still would feel calm if you were right here with me." Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Hermione gasped and turned around, at first thinking it was Draco._

_"Hermione…" It was Harry, and Ron behind him. "You need to get over him. He's not coming back."_

_"Oh, Harry!" she yelled, "You don't know how I feel, so please, just don't say anything! And the same goes for you, Ron. The two of your just _ignored _me, I hope you know, and that wasn't very _friend-like_.  Don't come here and tell me to get over Draco!"_

_Harry and Ron stared at her for a moment, and then at each other, and then back to Hermione. "Look, Hermione, we're sorry-"_

_"We didn't mean to ignore you," Ron cut in. "It's just that… well, we got carried away and you know how we can be sometimes." _

_"Yeah, whatever," Hermione whispered, wiping her face clear of tears once again. "Just… can you leave me alone, please? I need time to be alone."_

_Harry and Ron shrugged, turning around to leave; they knew when she wanted privacy she meant it. _

Crying softly to the memory, Hermione felt so much guilt but yet couldn't understand why. She did nothing wrong to the boys, in fact, it was Harry and Ron who did something. Very surprisingly to everyone who knew them back in Hogwarts, trio never kept in much touch; that is, Ron and Harry kept in touch, but not with Hermione, and Hermione only communicated with them if they sent her an owl, and very rarely did she send them one. It wasn't that she hated them or anything, because she did want to remain friends. They just drifted apart, went their separate ways. 

"Good evening students and faculty here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and parents who are gathered here today to witness this year's graduating class."

Hermione's thoughts drifted back to her speech, the one Draco started and she finished. She remembered how nervous she felt standing in front of so many people, almost feeling as if she were going to vomit any minute. 

_"This year, to say the least, was very interesting. I believe many students and professors will agree with me on that. There were no attacks on any students this year, nor was there any at Hogwarts, which is a relief. However, just because there were none, it doesn't mean we haven't loosened security. In fact, it has doubled since last year, because we know how Dumbledore likes to take extra precautions." Everyone laughed, and she saw a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes beneath his crescent-shaped glasses. "This year has had it's positives and negatives," she felt a lump in her throat as she reread the following sentences in her mind quickly, "and I'm sure everyone, even those who hated him, wish Draco Malfoy could be here today to graduate with us. As all of you know, he is nowhere to be found and is currently responsible for the murder of his mother. Even if that is true, I personally still wish he could be here to share this special day with me, and with the rest of his classmates," she reached up to wipe off a tear, but then found it impossible to continue. She stayed silent for a few seconds that felt like minutes and then cleared her throat, stepping down and walking off the stage. She felt extremely embarrassed that she up and left like that, but was certain Dumbledore would understand and handle everything._

Now, crying uncontrollably, Hermione got up from the couch and ran into the bathroom, grabbing a box of tissues and was about to go into her room when she heard a knock at her front door. "Fuck," she groaned. She threw the tissues on the floor and proceeded to the door. She was hoping against all odds that it wasn't Harry or Ron or anyone else from Hogwarts. 

"What do you want?" she asked as she opened the door to a man she never saw before in her life.

The man smiled at her, and then pushed Hermione out of the way and entered her apartment. "Ah. Lovely place this is, don't you agree? Cozy, very cozy," he said as he threw himself down on her couch, legs being supported by the arm of it. 

"_Excuse me_," Hermione said, still holding the door, "who the hell are you?"

"Oh, that doesn't matter. I'm just here to ask a few questions." He sat up and pulled out a vile from his cloak pocket.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and then walked over to the couch, the door left open. "Questions? For who?"

"Lucius Malfoy, my dear. Now, open your mouth and say, 'ahh!'" He stood up and held her still, pouring the liquid into her mouth and then closing her lips together, forcing her to swallow it. Once she done so, he threw the empty vile onto the floor, it shattering in a million pieces. "Wonderful," he said as he took Hermione into her bedroom, but not before closing the door.

He sat her on her bed, also closing her bedroom door, and stood in front of her for a few minutes. "So," he began, "first question, my dear. Where is Draco Malfoy?"

"I don't know."

"Eh? You don't? Hm. Have you any ideas of where he may be?"

"No."

"Tell me, mudblood, what did you do to make him fall in love with you?"

"Nothing."

"Ah, fuck this potion," he mumbled to himself. The _verità serum_ potion was effective, but it only told the questioner the truth and nothing more. "Why'd he leave?"

"I don't know."

"Is he dead? Is he alive? Did you _kill_ him, mudblood?"

"I don't know, I don't know, and no."

"Oh, right. Is Draco on Voldemort's side?"

"Yes."

"He wants to become a death eater, then?"

"Yes, more than anything."

"Hm. I think that's all, for now." He took out his wand and muttered "obliviate!" and then apparated out of the room, quickly before Hermione saw him. 

Blinking a few times, Hermione looked around the floor for the box of tissues and picked them up, walking over to the window. She looked out, seeing all the people in their cars coming home from work. She lived a muggle city now, wanting to get away from anything and everything that reminded her of Draco. She went back to thinking, blowing her nose into the tissue. Wasn't there someone at the door? She shrugged it off, thinking it was her imagination and went back to watching the people below her.

Lucius Malfoy wasn't happy with the information he received, basically because it wasn't what he wanted to hear. So the mudblood _didn't_ know where Draco was… but she did know that he was on Voldemort's side and wanted to be a death eater. "Next time I'll just have to send over a more intelligent spy," he said to himself. "Someone who will remember to bring the damn girl back _with _them." 

"Harry, have you heard from Hermione lately?" Ron Weasely asked his best friend. 

"No," Harry replied, "I haven't… Not since last month, anyway." 

"Do you think she's all right?"

"Yeah, Ron, I wouldn't worry. She's grown up, you know, like us, and she's plenty able to take care of herself. Stop worrying."

"I know, Harry, and I agree, but she's a good friend and I can't help but worry."

Harry sighed, standing up from the kitchen table in the apartment he and Ron rented for the summer. "Well," he said, "if you're so worried, why don't you send her owl? Go give her a visit, maybe she's lonely."

"But what if she freaks out and starts talking to 'Draco' like she was back at Hogwarts? What if she's gotten worse, Harry? What if-"

"Ron!" Harry interrupted. "Stop; just calm down. I'm sure she's fine; she wasn't at _that_ bad at Hogwarts. And anyway, she said she's been getting dreamless sleeping potions from Madam Pomfrey every now and then, and she says that helps with everything."

"Yes, that may be true, but Harry, I'm still worried-"

"If you want, Ron, I can come with you to visit her?"

"Thanks, Harry, you're a real pal, you know that?"

"Yeah, whatever," Harry smiled.


	16. Una canzone da cantare

Disclaimer: I own nothing… Song belongs to… Billy Gilman? 

Author's Notes: I was standing in my kitchen, thinking of how poor my imagination is. It just seems like I read all these other fics, with wonderful ideas and the people behind them seem to have these wonderful imaginations. But then you read mine, and the only thing good about it is the writing itself, not the ideas, just how I am a good writer in general. Blah. So I'm hoping to get this fic over with soon. I'm not really enjoying writing anymore… because of writer's block. And I also seemed to have trapped myself: I make these ideas, and then leave them to continue in the following chapters, but only after I post the chapter and receive reviews do I notice it is bad and makes no sense. Maybe I should stop being so hard on myself? I don't know, I just think maybe I'm better at reading the fics than writing them. Anyone ever been to FictionAlley.org? 

  
**Chapter 16.0 - Una canzone da cantare (A song to sing) **

  
Days and weeks passed by, although without any information what-so-ever about the disappearance of Draco. This was disappointing to Hermione; she was sure the Daily Prophet would have something, even if it weren't true. But no, there was nothing at all written in any newspaper or magazine belong to the magical community. 

To pass time, and to get her mind off of Draco, Hermione decided to clean up her apartment a bit. She started with the kitchen, then moved to the living room, which wasn't as messy as her bedroom. It took her more than a couple of hours to clean up the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, but even more for the bedroom and guest bedroom (which she couldn't really call a guestroom since it was covered with her stuff, floor and bed). 

But in this adventure she found some interesting things in boxes still yet to be unpacked from Hogwarts. Some of items brightened her mood and made her smile, some she wished not to even remember, and a few she even forget she saved. Like, for instance, hats she had made the house elves back in her fifth year; she smiled, remember S.P.E.W. She also found a high stack of parchment containing many essays she had done for her classes during her years at Hogwarts. But there was one thing packed away in a small box that she did not recognize at first glance. A song, she assumed, was written on Muggle paper used with a Muggle writing device in green silvery ink (called a pen). The title was, "What's Forever For" and at the bottom in very small writing it read: 

Seventh year, Hogwarts, October 

'This must be from when Draco and I were no longer together,' she thought. "Probably after we broke up… but I don't recall writing this at all." 

Hermione read over the lyrics to the song at least a hundred times before she remembered anything. Draco had made her feel so sad, so empty, so alone; telling her he had nothing to say about her being pregnant with his child and then ignoring her completely… She began humming the tune of the song, saying the words in her mind. It was only after a few minutes that she realized she could probably play the tune on her keyboard. She stood up, taking the paper with her, and walked over to the small area in her room dedicated to her keyboard and stereo system. She hit the power switch, then set the settings so it would play like a piano. She had been practicing piano at her parents' house for a few years, so she was fairly well at it. After about twenty minutes she got the beginning of the song set, but the rest was difficult as she never really thought about writing down musical notes when she wrote it. She sang the words of the song while playing as much as she could: 

I've been looking at people   
And how they change with the times   
And lately all I've been seeing are people   
Throwing love away and losing their minds   
Or maybe it's me that's gone crazy   
'Cause I can't understand why   
All these lovers keep hurting each other   
When good love is so hard to come by   
So what's the glory in living   
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore   
And if love never lasts forever   
Tell me what's forever for   
I've been listening to people   
And they say love is the key   
And it's not my way to let them lead me astray  
It's only that I want to believe   
But I see love-hungry people   
Trying their best to survive   
While in their hands is a dying romance   
And they're not even trying to keep it alive   
So what's the glory in living   
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore   
And if love never lasts forever   
Tell me what's forever for 

When she finished, however, she heard clapping in the background and for a split second she thought it might be Draco. Her heart sped up and she could feel the blood rushing to her face. But when she stood up and turned around everything froze: It was Harry and Ron with smiles on their faces, still clapping. They walked over to her. 

"Nice song, Hermione," Harry said.  
"Yeah, you've got an amazing voice, and wonderful talent on that… er… that thing," Ron said.  
Hermione laughed. "The keyboard? Thanks, you guys." 

There was silence for a few minutes. Hermione was awkward, mainly because she hadn't seen Ron nor Harry for a little over a month. But they stayed apart over summers… three months apart, and returned to Hogwarts without any awkwardness. Why was she feeling this way? 

Harry cleared his throat. "So, uh, Hermy, how're things?"  
"Fine, I guess. A little lonely, you know… No word of Draco at all."  
"Hermione, you've got to get over that git," Ron said. "He's nothing but trouble. Ever since you've been with him you've been… different."  
"Different?" Hermione asked, unaware of her odd behaviour. "How? How am I different?"  
"It's just… well… you've stopped talking to Harry and I, you know, like before we used to talk all the time. And you've just… changed," Ron explained.  
"Yeah, you've been more occupied with Malfoy more so than your best friends. We miss the old Hermione," Harry said.   
"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered. "I never noticed… How did I end up with him anyway? I don't remember how I could have gotten together with him. It doesn't make sense…"  
"Do you think he put you on the Imperius Curse?" Ron suggested.  
"No," Harry said. "We would've known. Dumbledore would've known, he would've said something." 

They were all quiet for moment, thinking over their conversation. Hermione wiped her eyes, though there were no visible tears, and lead the two boys out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. 

"Would you like something to eat? Maybe some coffee, too?" she asked.  
Ron's face shone with delight. "Oh, please, Hermione, I'm starving!" 

For the next an hour, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat at the kitchen table, talking things over and becoming close like they once were. Then the time for Harry and Ron to leave came just as fast as a snitch soaring through the air in a Quidditch match. 

"Thanks for visiting, you two," Hermione said while hugging Harry. "It really brightened my day."  
Ron smiled and then hugged Hermione. "No problem."  
"We'll come back to visit again soon, all right?" Harry said.

  
Hermione nodded, and then saw the two out the door. They said their last farewells and disapparated. 

Closing the door, she sighed, then looked up at the clock. It was close to 7 o'clock, and she had to go shopping for a bit of food or else she'd go to bed with a hungry stomach, something she did not plan on. She grabbed her purse and put on a pair of sandals, then grabbed her house keys. She opened the door, locked it, and then stepped outside her apartment. 

The walk home from the food shop was quite tiring, as she had to walk several blocks there and back since she did not feel like waiting for the bus or causing a scene by apparating. She hadn't bought many things, just some drinks and chips and bread and the likes, so the bags weren't big and heavy, which was good considering it was getting dark and obviously she didn't have night vision. 

But two blocks away from her apartment building she bumped into something. She was watching where she was going and didn't see anything at all. But here was a person in a black cloak, standing in front of her, staring down at her. Hermione looked up at the person, saw their eyes in the darkness, and then knew who it was immediately. 

"Draco?" she whispered.


	17. Amore Infine

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, absolutely nothing, and am not making any profits from this fic. 

****

Author's Notes: Sorry last chapter was kind of…eh; just sorry it wasn't as great as it should've been. I'll be honest to you all and say that I didn't put enough effort into it. But now I've got my computer back (mostly, I still won't have internet access for a while) and I can type decent chapters. I'm in the mod for fluff… it may have something to do with my Hermione/Draco dream the other night. So if this chapter seems even a bit fluffy, I'm sorry. ^_^ 

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Chapter 16.0 – Amore infine (Love at long last, or literally, love finally)

The hooded figure stood in front of Hermione for a minute before seizing her wrists; the two bags she held fell to the grown, causing everything inside them to roll all over the sidewalk. His grip wasn't gentle, but it not hurt her like it had all the other times… He kept his gaze upon her for another few seconds and then pulled her into an alley a few feet behind them. Hermione struggled to get away from him, looking back at her lost groceries, wondering if she'd ever see them again… But he only pulled her tighter, causing her to slightly lose her balance.

"Do not speak my name in public," he said through slightly clenched teeth. 

Hermione stared up at him. She had a million questions running through her mind but for some reason she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. Draco let go of her wrists, looking around as if making sure no other person was in the alley with them.

"Wait," Hermione finally said. "What are you doing around here?"

Draco looked back down at her. "Nothing."

"If you're trying to blend in with the Muggles-"

"I'm not!"

"You're just walking around, then?"

"Oh, fuck, Granger! Get off my case! I've already got the Ministry after me, not to mention Death Eaters my father sent to help 'track me down'."

"Have you? Whose fault is that? You ran away from your problems-"

"I did not run away from my problems, Granger!"

"Then _whatever_ the reason! There would be nobody after you had you not killed your mother!"

"Shut up!" Draco yelled, covering her mouth with his hand. "Someone might hear you!"

"Do you think I care? I _hope_ you get caught, Draco, I really do!" Hermione said after pulling his hand away.

"Great! Wonderful for you! I don't care what you hope for or anything else concerning your emotions at the moment-"

"Then _what_ do you want!" Hermione was lucky there weren't many people around, or else someone would have heard her- muggle or wizard. The Minister of Magic had reported Draco to the muggle Prime Minister, telling him that Draco was "dangerous and not to be trusted" and to "question anyone who seems suspicious". 

"Take me to a quiet place where no one will hear us," Draco said.

"What am I now, your _slave_?"

"Pretty damn close," Draco said, again through clenched teeth.

That both hurt and confused Hermione. She folded her arms over her chest. "Go find a place on your own. I don't wish to speak with you." Just as she turned around, Draco grabbed her arm, and quietly said,

"Please?"

Hermione sighed, knowing deem down she really _did_ want to talk to Draco. "Fine. Follow me." She led Draco to her apartment; thankful it was getting darker as they walked so Draco didn't look suspicious to anyone who was also walking on the sidewalks. She opened the door and let Draco in.

He looked over the small place, scrutinizing every thing his eyes fell upon. "This isn't too bad. For a Mudblood, I mean."

"Grow up, Draco" was all Hermione said before walking down the hall to go to her room. 

Draco followed behind her, wondering what she was doing. "Why are you going back here?" he asked.

"_Because_. Merlin knows we're going to get into some huge argument like we always do. The people next-door will hear and come over to see what's going on, or worse- they'll call the police and they'll come. You aren't on the Most Wanted list only in the wizard community, Draco- you're also on the list in the Muggle world, number one to be exact," Hermione explained. "And I can put a Silencing Charm on my room."

"And why can't you do it out there?" 

"Ugh- it doesn't matter, just come on!" She pulled Draco inside her room, then shut the door and said a Silencing Charm. When she turned to Draco, she saw a look of pure disgust on his face.

"Messy living quarters, Granger. So _dirty_…" he emphasized on 'dirty', and Hermione knew what he was referring to.

"I'm living here, not you, so shut-up! Why are you here?'  


"You invited me."

"You know what I mean, Malfoy. Why are you in this town?"

"Just passing by," Draco said, cautiously stepping around the room stand next to the window.

"Why'd you kill your mother?" She knew he was either going to not answer or yell at her and call her names for asking, but she so badly wanted to know what drove him to kill Narcissa Malfoy.

"I felt like it, all right?" Draco stood with his back to her, looking out the window. 

"That's horrible, Draco. That's truly horrible."

"You don't know the first thing of what happened, so stay out of it," he spat.

"You killed your own blood, your own flesh. You definitely won't hesitate to kill me, then," Hermione said, in almost a whisper.

"She was a disgrace to the Malfoy name. If Lucius were to have known of her affair with that- that muggle- he would've tortured her so badly… If he knew half the things I knew about her… I was only saving her from a painful death. I was letting her off the hook easy-"

"Where you going to tell your father? Of your mother's affair and all that you knew of her, I mean."

"I was planning on it, yes. But it would be surprising if he already didn't know."

"That still doesn't explain why you killed her, Draco."

"She was bringing you into the conversation, saying you caused me to 'change'. I told her no one changes me-"

"And never would I change you."

"-and she kept talking and talking, being such a smart-ass… You would've done the same, had you been raised in a magical family like mine."

"No, Draco, I don't think I would." 

"No, you'd want to compromise and try to make everything fine. You would listen to whatever story she had to tell you and then you'd discuss it with her, like 'mature adults'," Draco spat.

"But I wouldn't have killed her! I wouldn't have gotten my name on the list to Azkaban!" Hermione yelled, louder than she expected herself to.

Draco turned around and looked at her. "There are you, Granger, yelling at me like some mad woman. Sometimes you make me so angry, I just want to-"

"Kill me? Is that it, Draco? Do I make you so angry that you want to kill me?" she interjected, glaring at him.

"It seems like the best idea sometimes. Rid the world of one less Mudblood-" He never finished his sentence because Hermione had walked over to him and slapped him as hard as she could. 

She hadn't thought about hitting him; she acted on impulse. Blood started to drip from his nose. Draco was just about to grab her when he heard voices coming from outside. He pulled his hand away and ran over to the window.

Hermione was confused; she didn't hear the voices and still have her eyes shut in fear of Draco actually hurting her. When she opened them she noticed Draco over by the window. She walked over asked what he was looking it, but she covered her mouth and told her not to speak.

He didn't hear everything they said, but got the main idea down:

__

"Are you sure you heard him? Are you sure you saw_ him?" the voice belonged to no other than Lucius Malfoy._

"Yes, I saw him walking down this street with that Mudblood girl. They turned that corner and went into a building," an identified voice said. 

Draco saw the two cloaked figures standing in a dark area, obviously trying not to be noticed by anyone. "Lucius must have set up people to watch the area," Draco whispered to himself. "He must've known where you lived, and was keeping tabs on you." He removed his hand from her mouth and moved into a better position that enabled him to see more of what was going on.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "Is Lucius out-"

"Shut-up!" Draco hissed. "Yes, he's out there, but don't speak!"

Hermione nodded, and then wrapped her arms around Draco's right arm, resting her head against it. 

__

"You've done well. I'll see to it that you are rewarded properly," Lucius told the man. He then apparated, Draco saw, and the mystery man seemed to be looking right at Draco, although how he could've seen him…

Draco pulled away from the window, noticing Hermione's clutch on him. "Lucius knows," he said, glancing down at her. "He knows that I'm here."

"He knows you're staying with me?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. He'll be coming soon- we need to get out."

"What will he do?" 

"To you? He might hurt you and put a memory charm on you, or if he's in a really bad mood he may just kill you," Draco responded, once again staring out the window. "You _do_ have your apparating license, right?"

"Yes, I do, but-"

"All right then," Draco said, ignoring Hermione's beginning protest. "We're going to apparate to my manor."

"And allow him easier access to me?"

"You didn't let me finish," Draco said before turning around to face Hermione. He bent his head down so his mouth was level to her ear. He whispered, "Send a note to your little Dumbledore, asking for help. Tell him where you'll be. If he's fast and lucky enough he'll be able to save you."

A shiver ran down Hermione's spine as Draco told her what to do. "Why- you'll be caught! They'll send you to Azkaban!" She said in anything _but_ a whisper.

"Shut-up!" Draco said through clenched teeth, wincing as she yelled. "Tell Dumbledore to come by himself. There won't be anyone at the manor besides my father, you, and myself."

Hermione nodded, got a piece of Muggle paper and a writing utensil and quickly wrote what Draco told her to. Draco then whistled and an eagle owl appeared outside the window shortly after.

"I didn't know they were that smart," Hermione said, folding the paper and putting it inside an envelope, charming it so it could only be read by whom it was addressed.

"Who said you knew everything," Draco mumbled, grabbing the envelope and tieing it onto the owl's left leg. "Take this to Dumbledore-"

"_Albus_ Dumbledore," Hermione interrupted, shooting Draco a look he couldn't quite figure out the meaning of.

"Yes, yes, Albus Dumbledore," Draco said, then the owl took off to the Hogwarts Castle. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Erm, Draco, in case something happens to either of us and I don't get the chance to tell you this ever again, I love you."

Draco stared down at her for a few seconds before replying, "I love you, too." 

****

A/N: I thought that'd be a good place to stop, ne. One more chapter and then it's all done! I was going to go back and fix up some things in previous chapters but I'll save that for another day. Oh, hehe, next year I'm going to a different high school and guess what the transportation is? A train! I am so excited because it makes me feel like I'm going to Hogwarts! Just wanted to share that. =D


	18. Fin

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Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, at least I think so, but now-a-days every idea is so used up that somewhere along the lines somebody must have a similar idea to mine…but yes, I do not own any characters except random Muggles and wizards that may appear. The song I used belongs to/is by Simple Plan. I am not making any profit out of this ridiculous story.

****

Author's Notes: Okay, I think it is time for an update; the final chapter to this story. I am sorry for not updating in what, five or six months? Truth is, like _always_, I had stupid writer's block. Over the past couple days, however [snow = snow days] I have started reading D/Hr fanfics again [I haven't since I last posted a chapter] and I've started getting some ideas. And also, so you aren't confused, towards the end there's a song that I decided to add in…in bold text is Hermione's thoughts, and in italics in Draco's.

****

Chapter 17.0 : Fin

"Aw, isn't that just _sweet_?" a familiar voice drawled.

Lucius Malfoy was not the type of man to sit around and watch his only son's future be screwed up by a mudblood, especially _her. _That mudblood _Granger girl_ always surpassed Draco when it came to schooling marks, which made Lucius furious, at both the Granger girl and Draco; Granger because she's a mudblood, nothing but _filth_; Draco because he's a _pureblood_, a Malfoy for Merlin's sake, and no one beats a Malfoy at _anything_, especially not a mudblood. 

But then there was Potter, the Almighty-King-Of-Goodness, and that good-for-nothing excuse of a pureblood, _Weasely. _Such pathetic beings, but they will get what they asked for, most definitely… 

He had been setting up tabs on that Granger girl for quite a while now, first finding out where she lived and then sending out spies whom of course, with no doubt, he paid very well to do as best a job as they could, "or else…" 

It took nearly an hour to find Granger's location (what with men who will kill for money); in an apartment building just outside of the Muggle London. He sent out a older, more experienced man to do his favours: making Granger take a truth potion; ask her question of Draco's where-a-bouts and anything else that would come into mind that he would find useful; throw a memory charm on her and leave at once. The man, named Scarpin, had reported back to Lucius with enough information to spare his life, and from then on Lucius sent him to watch outside of Granger's apartment for anything suspicious, and just so he could do his job in peace and privacy, Lucius allowed him to use an invisibility cloak. Scarpin had reported daily to Lucius of anything and everything that went on during the day and night, and finally, something happened: 

__

Scarpin was standing against the brick wall of a coffee shop when he spotted a hooded figure from afar, walking at a slow pace. He could not see any physical features of the person, but when a young woman carrying a few bags bumped into him, he heard the sacred name:

"Draco?"

Scarpin immediately put a charm on his ears that enabled him to hear the conversation clearly, and then walked closer to the two people.

"Do not speak my name in public," the figure, who Scarpin now knew was Draco, said.

"Wait," the girl finally said. "What are you doing around here?"

Draco looked back down at her. "Nothing."

"If you're trying to blend in with the Muggles-"

"I'm not!"

"You're just walking around, then?"

"Oh, fuck, Granger! Get off my case! I've already got the Ministry after me, not to mention Death Eaters my father sent to help 'track me down'."

"Have you? Whose fault is that? You ran away from your problems-"

"I did not run away from my problems, Granger!"

"Then whatever the reason! There would be nobody after you had you not killed your mother!"

"Shut up!" Draco yelled, covering the Granger girl's mouth with his hand. "Someone might hear you!"

"Do you think I care? I hope you get caught, Draco, I really do!" Granger said after pulling his hand away.

"Great! Wonderful for you! I don't care what you hope for or anything else concerning your emotions at the moment-"

"Then what do you want!" 

"Take me to a quiet place where no one will hear us," Draco said.

"What am I now, your slave?"

"Pretty damn close."

"Go find a place on your own. I don't wish to speak with you." 

Scarpin saw the girl start to walk a while, but then Draco grabbed her arm-

"Please?"

The girl sighed, and said, "Fine. Follow me." 

The girl and Draco continued to walk down the street, and Scarpin realized that this was his chance. He reported back to Lucius and quickly told him of what he had seen and heard. Lucius became highly interested and apparated back to the Muggle London where Scarpin kept watch. 

"Are you sure you heard him? Are you sure you saw_ him?" Lucius asked once more; he didn't want any screw-ups._

"Yes, I saw him walking down this street with that Mudblood girl. They turned that corner and went into a building," Scarpin answered. 

Lucius was indeed pleased with Scarpin's results, and after paying him three-thousand galleons, he apparated right inside the Mudblood's apartment; he had seen Draco in the window out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione jumped and gasped at the sound of Lucius Malfoy's voice. 

"Tell me, are you going to confess your _undying_ love for this Mudblood bitch or what?" Lucius drawled, walking a few inches closer to Draco and Hermione, his cane in-hand. "_Very _sickening, if you ask me. Who would have thought a _Malfoy_ to be in any sort of relations with a _Mudblood_? Of course, that isn't your fault I presume_, _as _she _no doubt put you under some type of love potion, Draco; to get you to turn to _her_ side, Dumbledore's side, _Potter's side_."

Draco, however, knew that he was under no love spell, because Hermione wasn't the type to go around breaking rules, at least not on purpose. This is what his father wanted him to believe, that Granger had put him under a love spell to make it look like she was trying to convert his to the _good side_; to make it look like she was just messing with his mind. But, of course, Draco knew better. Much, much better.

"I think _you're_ the deceiver, Lucius Malfoy," Hermione suddenly spat, causing both Draco and Lucius to look at her curiously, their eyes asking her as to where she was going with this. 

"Oh, am I, now? Tell me, _mudblood_, what makes you think you can speak to me like that?" And in an instant, Lucius had his wand out and ready, pointed straight at Hermione.

Hermione started to panic, thinking that she should've just kept her mouth closed, but then recollected herself and breathed deeply before continuing. "You wanted our child to replace your dark lord in chance anything were to ever happened to him, didn't you? _Voldemort_," she took another deep breath after saying His name, "believed that our child would be a very powerful witch or wizard, strong enough to replace him when he is defeated by Harry Potter. But did he forget of who I was? That mudblood _Granger girl_? Because surely, he would have killed both you and Draco, as well as myself and my child, and Narcissa, your wife-"

Lucius interrupted. "Clever, aren't we, Granger? Our Dark Lord is _very _intelligent, even more so than you are. I believe he knows what he's doing-" 

"But do you? You act as thought you despise all mudbloods and are out to kill them all, but who are worshipping? If I am not mistaken, a _mudblood_. And with him gone, and our child in place, you would be worshipping yet _another_ mudblood-"

"_Shut_ your mouth, you wretched girl! How dare you speak of Our Lord in such a way! Crucio!" 

Draco was silent throughout Hermione's mini-speech, thinking of what she saying. _It's true, isn't it? _he asked himself. _Professing to hate all mudbloods, yet we're worshipping one…_ He had never thought about it, because quite frankly, the thought never occurred to him. And Hermione was right, as much as he hated to admit it, when she said that Lucius was the deceiver. 

"And _you_, Draco," Lucius laughed. "What a gullible, yet shameful, son you are! Actually believing everything we discussed in those 'meetings' we had!" Lucius' laughter stopped abruptly, a stern look appearing on his face. "You embarrass me, you good-for-nothing bastard! I am ashamed to call you my son and am very curious as to why the Dark Lord and yet to kill you off. Speaking of killing, what happened to your mother?"

"What do you mean, Father?" Draco was almost certain that had he been is Draco's shoes, Lucius would have done the exact same thing to Narcissa.

"You killed her, didn't you? I must say, to kill your own mother…takes a lot. Surely you wouldn't hesitate to kill a mudblood?"

Hermione, still laying in pain on the floor, opened her eyes and looked at Draco. His eyes were fixed on Lucius', with no emotion on his face what-so-ever. She _knew_ it was all just a plan to get her captive, to lure Harry into their trap, to make it easier for Voldemort to kill him. Why did she have to think so much about everything? Every little thing she thought about, and it only led her to become confused, paranoid…leaving her frustrated more than ever…especially with the child-will-be-surprisingly-strong idea, which was now obviously just a lie since Lucius had told Draco that everything they ever discussed in meetings was not true. Both she and Draco were tricked, out-smarted… 

Just as Draco was about to answer, however, another voice fill the room.

"Drop your wand, Lucius," Dumbledore said. Hermione smiled; he sounded as if were a Muggle police officer, telling someone to "drop their weapon". 

Lucius, however, kept his wand gripped firmly in his hand and turned around to face Dumbledore, which he learned was a mistake because behind Dumbledore stood the Minister of Magic himself as well as the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Lucius put on a very fake smile.

"_Albus_ Dumbledore," Lucius spoke, slowly pointing his wand towards Dumbledore. "It was _pleasure_ seeing meeting you here, but Draco and I must be leaving-"

"Petrificus totalus!" one of the Hit Wizards yelled. Lucius' body turned rigid, causing him to fall backward, only inches away from Draco's feet. Two Hit Wizards rushed over to Lucius' body and picked him up. "Mr. Malfoy, if you do not mind my asking, where is Miss Granger?" It was impossible to see Hermione laying on the floor, as her bed was blocking her from view. 

"Right there," Draco replied, barely pointing to this left.

"If you could possibly help her up so we could get going…?" 

Draco did as he was asked, surprisingly, and helped Hermione up. He then used a levitation spell to move her easier. As he did this, Dumbledore turned and faced the Minister and the officials and nodded his head as a signal that he was ready to leave. 

When Hermione awoke she found herself, for some odd reason, back in the Hogwarts infirmary. She blinked her eyes a few times and sat up, wondering how she got there…and then she remembered: running into Draco on the sidewalk; seeing Lucius Malfoy in her bedroom; being in lots of pain…and then hearing Dumbledore's voice. Everything was still so confusing for her and she had a throbbing sensation in her head. _Probably from thinking too much_, she thought. Just then she heard footsteps, and a very familiar voice yell out her name.

"Hermione!"

It was Ron, and Hermione and could not remember ever feeling as happy to hear his voice. He and Harry both were walking towards her bed, smiles of joy on their faces.

"We were so worried, Hermione," Harry said. 

Hermione tried to smile back, but something held her back, although she was not sure of what it could be…

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked. "Dumbledore said you slept all day yesterday."

"All day?" Hermione repeated. "I'm feeling all right, I guess…just a bit of headache. How did you guys--?"

"Bloody hell! Look at all these gifts you've received, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, walking over to a table that was sat in front of Hermione's bed. "Are you going to eat all of this?"

Hermione and Harry both laughed a bit, and then Harry answered her question before Ron interrupted. "Dumbledore sent us an owl; we were just playing a small game of Quidditch when it arrived."

"What happened, Hermione? Dumbledore told us that you'd tell us what you were well enough to talk about it," Ron said. 

"I ran into Draco," she said, staring at the table of gifts. 

"What happened?" Harry asked, interested.

"We argued…like usual…" Hermione sighed, and laid down on the bed, snuggling the blanket close to her neck. 

Harry watched her, worried. He had noticed the change in Hermione ever since she began "hanging around" Malfoy and did not like it. Sure, she could be annoying back in their previous years of Hogwarts with all of her constant studying and telling Ron and him what to do, but Harry would rather have that Hermione than this who-took-over-Hermione's-body Hermione. He also noticed how the three of them seemed to drift apart; well, at least not with him and Ron, but Hermione. She still spent time with them but so much of it went to studying and seeing Draco that he wasn't sure if he could still label her as one of his very best friends. Even now, after graduating from Hogwarts, with no Draco to bother her, Hermione still seemed so distant from him; she never visited and barely wrote to him nor Ron. 

"Come on, now, Hermione," Ron said, taking notice of the gloom Hermione. "You can do better than that git, don't let him get you down."

"Like who?" Hermione asked.

"Like…well…other…uhm, people, you know?" Ron answered.

Ron had also noticed the change in Hermione, although a part of him, unlike Harry, liked it. He was glad that Hermione hadn't been nagging them with school-work and staying-out-of-trouble lectures, but the fact that she was spending more time with "the enemy" rather than with her two best friends both saddened and angered him. 

Hermione sighed once more, and then said, "Where is he?"

Ron and Harry glanced at each other, and Harry said to her, "At his trial." 

Hermione quickly sat up and was about get out of the bed when Madam Pomfrey walked over. "Awake already? Here, take this," she said, and gave Hermione a small vile of green-coloured liquid smelling of a mixture of oranges and fish. Hermione made a face, as did Harry and Ron, but gulped it down anyway. "It's for any aches or pains that you may get, as well as an anti-depressant."

"Anti-depressant? For what?" Hermione asked, confused. But she never got an answer, because the moment Poppy went to speak, Dumbledore walked through the doors of the infirmary. 

"Good evening, Miss Granger," he greeted her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, sir," she replied.

"Glad to hear so. I'm sure you have many questions, Miss granger?" Dumbledore stood at the foot of the bed, hands clasped together. 

"Where is Draco?" she blurted out, originally wanting to ask her former headmaster how much longer she will be staying at Hogwarts.

"As his trial has just ended, he is on his way-"

"-to Azkaban?" Hermione interrupted. 

"No, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, although not happily, "there was not enough evidence to support the rumours of Mr. Malfoy murdering his mother, nor was there any at all of him being or associating with Death Eaters."

"If…Draco didn't kill his mother, than who did?" Hermione was now confused, because Draco had told her himself that he had killed Narcissa.

__

"Why'd you kill your mother?" 

"I felt like it, all right?"

Dumbledore sighed. "We will find that out soon, hopefully."

Hermione knew that Dumbledore knew Draco killed his mother, but did not question him about it. She was happy that Draco would not be going to Azkaban, but also was a bit angered that he got away with such a crime. "Didn't you use the _Prior Incantato _spell?"

"Yes, we did, but it did not show the last spell as being the killing curse. I was expecting you to be happy, Miss Granger, not angry about this?" Dumbledore said.

"Oh, I'm happy," Hermione replied insipidly.

"Then show it," a voice said.

Hermione recognized the voice all to well, but as she looked up to see for sure, tears filled her eyes. She was mixed with a million and one emotions, ranging from sympathy for Narcissa Malfoy; anger and happiness for Draco Malfoy; sadness for her two very best friends, whom she just realized she greatly missed; and, most of all, confusion. 

Dumbledore motion for Harry and Ron to step aside, giving Hermione and Draco a while to be alone; Ron gave Hermione a reassuring smile, seeming to mean "we'll be here when you need us". The three walked towards the doors of the infirmary, and with one last glance from Harry, left.

"Why the hell are you here?" Hermione demanded. "You should be in Azkaban-!" 

"Shut-up!" Draco said through clenched teeth, causing Hermione to cry. She buried her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks and fingers and arms. This only made Draco more angry, because it was one of the things he hated to see: a person crying. Not because he felt sympathy for the person, but because it annoyed him. "Stop crying," he said. 

Hermione removed her hands and half-yelled, "Why? Why should I listen to you? I can cry if I want to, you know! You don't own me!" 

Draco grabbed both her wrists and stared her intensely in the eyes.

****

Maybe I'm just not good enough for you  
And maybe I just don't wanna be like you  
  
_And maybe I just don't wanna know   
How low you're ready to go  
I'm not gonna change   
You can't make me_  
  
_You don't mean anything to me_  
**You're what I never want to be**  
  
**Tell me does it feel good to be like you**  
_Tell me why should I waste my time with you_  
  
**'Cuz maybe you always bring me down  
I'm sick of being pushed around**  
_I'm not gonna change  
You can't make me_  
  
_I know you think you know me   
You don't know anything_  
_I know you want to help me  
I don't need anything  
Don't tell me where to go  
I don't need you to know_

'_We could try,' her eyes pleaded._

But he knew that there would be no point in "_trying_". He hated her, yet he loved her…and she loved him, yet sometimes he got on her last nerve…they argued constantly, sounded more like enemies than lovers…but isn't that what they were? 

__

'It isn't going to work,' his said.

'We could try!' she pleaded yet again. "I love you, Malfoy, and…"

He let go of her wrists and shut his eyes briefly. _Here she goes again, babbling about her love for me…_ But he enjoyed it, deep down. "Let me guess, 'the thought of not being with you for the rest of my life seems absolutely horrifying! Oh, please don't leave me, Draco! Please don't leave me!'" he mocked her.

"_No_," she said, "it seems empty."

"You have Potter and Weasely," he drawled.

"They're my best friends, and as much as I love them…it's not the same."

"You've already had your chance, Granger. I already asked you to be my wife-"

"-And I've changed my mind! I'll be your wife, Draco!"

"What, now that our child is dead? Now that my mother is dead and father is in Azkaban? You think harm is out of our way?" 

"I didn't say that…I wasn't sure of what to do when you asked me." Hermione ran her fingers through her still slightly-bushy hair and sighed. The tears on her face were starting to dry, and she felt a bit calmer than a few minutes ago. "I was confused."

"It's not that hard to say 'yes' or 'no', Granger-"

"-for me 't was!" she yelled, becoming angry once again. "I've changed my mind, and I'm saying that I'll be your wife! Before I change my answer _again_-"

"-fine!" Draco yelled back. 

They both sat in silence for several minutes, both thinking over the conversation they just had.

"You're getting married?" a saddened voice said from afar.

"Oh, Ron, don't be upset-" 

"-listening to our _private_ conversation, eh, Weasely?" Draco snapped. 

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron said, and then approached Hermione with Harry in toe. "Harry and I want to speak with you, if that's all right?"

Hermione nodded, a slight smile on her face. "Yes, that's fine. Draco?" She looked up at Draco, a signal for him to leave them alone. He mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, and then left the infirmary. 

"Hermione, we miss you," Harry said as soon as he saw Draco gone.

"I know, I miss you two as well," she said. "I know I've been distant-"

"-we have been too, Hermione. I guess we were always expecting you to be the one to visit us or write to us, not the other way around. We're sorry," Ron said. 

"I am, too," Hermione said, and then smiled. "I was thinking…and I've decided that I want to train to be an auror."

"That's a brilliant idea, Hermione, I was thinking the same way," Harry said.

"What about you, Ron? Any ideas of what you want to do with your future?" Hermione asked.

"Eh, maybe play Quidditch?" Ron said. 

"You could train to be a Hit Wizard, you know. You could make it, I think," Hermione said in a thoughtful tone. 

"Thanks," Ron said, going a light shade of pink. 

"So…you're going to marry Malfoy, Hermione?" Harry asked, a bit of uncertainty in his voice. 

"He asked me a while back, you know, when you two came to my house during Christmas holidays?" Hermione said.

"Yeah, I remember, I saw that ring on your finger and I told Harry about it," Ron said. "I got a bit angry, actually."

"I told him 'no' back then- why were you angry, Ron?" 

"I thought he had already asked you and you didn't tell us, and it just got me angry, I guess…"

"You two would be the first to know of _anything_, trust me. Besides Draco, I mean."

"That's what bothers me!" Ron suddenly shouted. "It's always about _Malfoy_!"

"Well, I'm sorry Ron, but I can't just go along pretending he isn't there!"

"Why not, the rest of us seem to do so just fine!"

"The '_rest of you'_ aren't in love with him, are you?" They were silent for a few minutes, and then Ron spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

"I know, Ron, but just try to think from my point of view, if you could? Just know that you two aren't the only men in my life." 

Ron nodded, as did Harry, and the three of them smiled.

Hermione was released from the Hogwarts infirmary later that night, with Draco at her side. Harry and Ron had left earlier, to give Hermione and Malfoy time to themselves. It felt odd for Hermione, walking out of the Hogwarts castles with Draco. She wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not, and decided not to ask Draco in fear of ruining the night. The two had apparated back to Hermione's apartment, but wouldn't be staying for long.

"We can't stay here," Draco said, walking around Hermione's messy bedroom.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I can't live in the Muggle world, Granger," he replied, "especially in _this_."

"Then where do you want us to go?"

"_I_ want to go back to the Manor. I have a lot of cleaning to do."

Hermione suppressed a laugh. "_Cleaning_?"

"You know what I mean, Granger," Draco said angrily. "What, with the Ministry wanting to _investigate_ all of Lucius' things…"

"It's been weird," Hermione said.

"What's been weird?" Draco said spitefully. 

"Our adventure."

"What _adventure_ is this, Granger?" 

"_Our_ adventure. Everything we have gone through in the past three years, and even before that…It's been weird, but…as they say, 'learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow'."

****

A/N: I hope you all like this chapter! I was actually thinking about adding one more, you know, with their wedding in it but…I don't know, it might make the story worse than it already is! Hah. No, I don't believe this story is _that_ bad…I actually reread some of the chapters and I really like parts of them. But anyway, please review and tell me what you think, and whether or not I should add an extra chapter with their wedding or whatever, or and ideas. Thank-you all who reviewed so far, it means a lot to me. =DD 

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